As the long wait for the season begins in earnest, it's officially time for Athlon's annual article quoting coaches who absolutely blast their opponents while hiding behind anonymity. The comments about Nebraska this year are especially harsh, and not all of them are about former starting quarterback Dylan Raiola. However, the quote from a coach whose name likely rhymes with "Lan Danning" is one of the more ludicrous comments of the offseason.
“They’re in a ton of denial with the quarterback situation. Dylan Raiola is as good as they get as a player and as a person; losing him, I thought he was their last hope. He was the pin that was holding that thing together.”
Last hope? Ever? Is the Nebraska football program going to literally implode now that Raiola is gone? 10 years after Raiola graduates from wherever he eventually graduates, will the Huskers still be a smoking pile of ash?
The quote is notable not just because it's ludicrous, but because it's far harsher than even anonymous coaches tend to get. If former Husker offensive line coach Donovan Raiola caught on with another Big Ten team this offseason, it would be hard to argue that anyone but him was the person who said it. Of course, the guy who only had a job for three years at Nebraska because both Scott Frost and Matt Rhule took a swing at his nephew isn't on any Big Ten team.
Dylan Raiola’s Nebraska football exit still does not make Matt Rhule hopeless
In fact, at the moment, it appears he's still searching for another coaching job.
Some of the criticism of how Nebraska handled Dylan Raiola is warranted. It certainly doesn't seem as though he progressed or improved much. One need only look at his numbers vs non-conference opponents and compare them to the tougher grind of the Big Ten.
Against teams outside the B1G, Raiola had a 14-to-2 touchdown-to-interception ratio. Against his conference rivals, it was 17-to-15. The Huskers were also 6-0 with Raiola leading the way against non-con opponents. They were 6-10 in Dylan's starts against Big Ten squads.
Yes, the Huskers went just 1-3 in games started by someone other than Raiola, but the starter was a true freshman last year. This season, Nebraska went out and got a veteran quarterback who could at least provide the same kind of leadership Dylan did.
It's also worth noting that, now that the former NU quarterback is at Oregon, there's real doubt about whether he'll ever start for the Ducks. Does that sound like someone irreplaceable? Even if things are rosier in Eugene?
Losing Dylan Raiola was not a great look for Nebraska; there's really no argument about that. But to pretend like Matt Rhule and his staff are walking corpses just waiting for the coroner to make the final pronouncement is silly. This is a program that never did better than 7-6 with Raiola on the roster. Is that really an unreachable height this season? Even with a tougher 2026 slate?
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