Buford High School quarterback Dylan Raiola. Dale Zanine-USA TODAY Sports

Dylan Raiola's decision an excellent sign for Nebraska's future

By Eric Smithling | Last updated 12/18/23

Monday was the best day the Nebraska Cornhuskers have had in years.

There hasn't been much to celebrate since 2016 in Lincoln, making Nebraska's ability to flip former Georgia five-star 2024 quarterback recruit Dylan Raiola critical to the program's future.

Raiola is the program's highest-rated recruit since ESPN began tracking high-school players.

Head coach Matt Rhule is in his second offseason with the Cornhuskers and needed to improve at quarterback after the team struggled at the position in 2023.

Quarterbacks including Georgia Tech transfer Jeff Sims, Heinrich Haarberg and Chubba Purdy combined to go 136-of-261 (52.1 percent) for 1,631 yards, 10 touchdowns and 16 interceptions in 12 games.

Nebraska had a top-20 scoring defense (18.2 points allowed per game) but ranked 123rd in scoring (18 points per game).

In Raiola's Dr. Seussian announcement of his decision to spurn Georgia for Nebraska, we can hear echoes of the Cornhuskers' pitch.

GO
BIG
RED pic.twitter.com/ApOPDipCcu
— Dylan Raiola (@RaiolaDylan) December 18, 2023

"No longer a cog in some powerhouse machine, but a quarterback, with an even grander ambition unseen," he wrote.

With as much success as Georgia has had in recent years, Raiola probably would have been overlooked had he stuck with the Bulldogs. For instance, quarterback Carson Beck was excellent this season, finishing sixth in passing (3,738 yards), but didn't garner much praise after Georgia failed to match the heights set the past two seasons.

Put another way, the Bulldogs' 12-1 record this season under Beck was a disappointment for the program. On the other hand, Nebraska might throw a parade for the football team if Raiola leads it to the same record.

The Cornhuskers have struggled since joining the Big Ten in 2011, posting only one 10-win season, and haven't appeared in a bowl game since 2016.

With Raiola's decision, there should be hope in Lincoln that might finally change.

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