The impending departure of Dylan Raiola has made the Nebraska football coaches decide it's time to go into the transfer portal and get another quarterback. It's the first time Matt Rhule has done this since his first season in Lincoln, but this time, he simply has to get it right. At the moment, it looks like "getting it right" involves either Kenny Minchey, Dylan Lonergan, or Aidan Chiles.
The Huskers have talked quite a bit, especially since Rhule got his extension, that they would have more money to invest in NIL than ever before. Some of that money will now need to be spent on the quarterback position. While Rhule is expected to kick the tires on just about any QB who will listen, the aforementioned trio have reportedly surfaced as the early top targets.
According to a snippet from an On3 article posted on Reddit, a user in the Huskers subreddit, the publication believes Nebraska has especially zeroed in on Chiles, the Michigan State quarterback, over the last two years.
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Chiles, also once an Oregon State transfer, joined the Spartans as someone former coach Jonathan Smith believed could be a deadly dual-threat. However, as Smith's final season unfolded, Chiles was benched, and his time in East Lansing was telegraphed as over.
Should Nebraska go after Chiles, it seems likely he's more of a veteran option who would be given the chance to compete with TJ Lateef, but wouldn't be promised the starting job out of the gate. In fact, all three quarterbacks are unlikely to be guaranteed the job, which could complicate things in the transfer portal hunt.
Of the three mentioned by On3, Notre Dame quarterback Minchey might be the most attractive. In three seasons with the Irish, he's racked up just 29 total pass attempts, but while he's been behind Sam Hartman, Riley Leonard, and CJ Carr on the depth chart, he almost took the starting job in 2025. He's got a cannon for an arm and good speed, carrying 9 times for 96 yards and 2 TDs in South Bend.
Lonergan started his college career with Alabama but transferred and started for Boston College in 2025. He didn't have a bad year at first glance, but did lose his starting job as head coach Bill O'Brien searched for some way to rack up wins. This year, he threw for 2,025 yards and 12 touchdowns to just 5 interceptions.
Lonergan is also the least mobile of the trio mentioned. Considering Nebraska coaches have talked about wanting to move to a more mobile option since Raiola moved on, the BC quarterback would be Plan C at best.