Matt Rhule had a vision for Nebraska football, and it was built around Dylan Raiola. The five-star quarterback was supposed to be the cornerstone-the guy who would finally drag the Huskers out of the wilderness and back into national relevance.
But now, that plan’s in pieces. Raiola is heading for the transfer portal on January 2, 2026, and Rhule is left trying to patch together an offense that never quite clicked the way it was supposed to.
Raiola's departure, confirmed by multiple outlets, comes just weeks after a season-ending broken fibula he suffered against USC on November 1. That injury ended a 22-game starting streak and capped a Nebraska career that was as frustrating as it was intriguing.
On paper, Raiola put up solid numbers-4,819 passing yards, 31 touchdowns. But he also took 54 sacks, and that stat tells a deeper story.
From the jump, Raiola struggled with pocket presence. He had the arm talent, no question.
But when the play broke down, so did the offense. He wasn’t a natural escape artist, and that limitation cost Nebraska time and again.
The Huskers couldn’t keep drives alive when pressure arrived, and they couldn’t evolve offensively the way modern college football demands.
Offensive coordinator Dana Holgorsen kept things classy this week, posting through Lauren Michelson on X: “I loved working with Dylan. Great kid.”
And by all accounts, Raiola was just that-a talented, hard-working player who wanted to make it work in Lincoln. But talent alone doesn’t guarantee success, especially when the system doesn’t match the skill set.
And this one stings for more than just football reasons. The Raiola family was deeply tied to the program.
Dylan’s uncle, Donovan Raiola, coached the offensive line for four years before being let go on December 6. Just a couple of weeks before that, Dylan’s younger brother, Dayton-a three-star quarterback commit-backed out of his pledge to Nebraska.
In the span of a month, the family that once symbolized Nebraska’s future walked away entirely.
So now what?
Connor Happer laid it out on Locked On Nebraska: the Huskers aren’t just looking for a new quarterback-they’re looking for a new identity under center. The Raiola era was built around a pro-style passer.
That chapter’s closed. Rhule and his staff are now in the market for something different.
Something faster. More dynamic.
A quarterback who can create outside the structure, extend plays, and keep defenses guessing.
True freshman TJ Lateef might be that guy. He started three games this year, going 1-2, and while it wasn’t perfect, he showed flashes.
He’s expected to start the bowl game and could enter 2026 as QB1. But don’t be surprised if Nebraska also dips into the transfer portal in search of a more seasoned option-someone who’s already proven they can handle Power Five defenses and bring a little more mobility to the position.
Still, it’s worth noting: Raiola was far from a bust. In nine games this season, he completed 72.4% of his passes for 2,000 yards, 18 touchdowns, and just six interceptions.
That kind of efficiency doesn’t happen by accident. The raw talent was very real.
The bigger question is whether Nebraska ever put him in a position to succeed. And when you see 54 sacks on the stat sheet, it’s hard not to think the answer is no.
Now Rhule is back at square one. Two years of building an offense around Raiola’s arm, and it’s all reset. The next quarterback will need more than just a big arm-they’ll need to move, adapt, and lead a unit that’s still trying to find its rhythm.
The Raiola era in Lincoln didn’t deliver the revival Nebraska fans were hoping for. But it might just spark the shift the program needs. Because in today’s college football, standing still-literally or figuratively-just isn’t an option.