Dylan Raiola the undisputed star of the Nebraska football spring game show

Coming into Saturday’s Nebraska football spring game, the hype surrounding Dylan Raiola was immense. The kid who was dubbed the starter for the 2024 season about five minutes after he signed with the Cornhuskers by the fans couldn’t possibly live up to it could he? In his first ever game playing in Memorial Stadium? Turns out that yes, yes he could. In fact, he might have played even better than people expected.

There were quite a few bright spots for the Nebraska football team in head coach Matt Rhule’s second spring game. The wide receiver corps, a question entering the spring, looked like they had new life. 

That wasn’t just because of Dylan Raiola either. Jacory Barney, Isaiah Neyor and Jaylen Lloyd all had great days as well. At times, Daniel Kaelin and Heinrich Haarberg looked sharp enough that they could definitely start a game this fall if needed.

But it was Raiola who blew people away. Despite lots of talk about it still being an open competition for the Nebraska football starting quarterback, it’s pretty clear that the QB1 job is Raiola’s to lose.

Dylan Raiola has Nebraska football fans hyped in spring game debut

In the first half alone, Raiola went 15 of 21 for 239 yards with one interception and two touchdowns. That one interception was a pass that was slightly behind wide receiver Demetrius Bell but it was off his hands and popped into the air. It was one that might have been caught by a different target, or in a game that mattered more.

It’s safe to say he the former 5-star prospect didn’t have a truly bad throw. No bad overthrows or underthrows, no balls into the dirt five yards in front of his target. He looked calm. He looked poised. And he looked like someone who had been leading a college football offense for far longer than a few weeks.

Assuming Nebraska football can keep Dylan Raiola healthy, the Huskers’ offense could be a sight to see in 2024.