Dylan Raiola Co-Signs Matt Rhule's Loyalty to Nebraska Amid Penn State Rumors

Dylan Raiola had a clear message amid rumors Penn State could hire Nebraska coach Matt Rhule.
Nebraska Cornhuskers quarterback Dylan Raiola addressed rumors that head coach Matt Rhule could leave for Penn State.
Nebraska Cornhuskers quarterback Dylan Raiola addressed rumors that head coach Matt Rhule could leave for Penn State. / Dylan Widger-Imagn Images

In the wake of Penn State firing James Franklin, Nittany Lions alum and Nebraska head coach Matt Rhule has emerged as a potential candidate Penn State could try to hire to become their next coach.

On Monday, Rhule didn't explicitly state he would not take the job to become Penn State's head coach, but he did express multiple times how he loves Nebraska and wants to continue building the program.

Nebraska quarterback Dylan Raiola on Tuesday seemed to take the comments a step further by directly saying Rhule isn't leaving the program. While Raiola had to remind some of his teammates not to believe everything they read online when it comes to the rumors surrounding Rhule, he's confident that his coach will remain in Nebraska.

"It doesn't faze him at all. It's just people stirring stuff up and making things bigger than it is," Raiola said of the rumors Rhule could leave for Penn State. "He's as locked in as ever on this football game to get this win. I just had to make sure everyone knew that that's our head ball coach, he ain't going nowhere. He's staying right here."

Raiola also pointed to what Rhule said himself, it's his wife Julie's decision. "He loves it. It doesn't really matter what he says, his wife loves it here," Raiola added. "She got her business going and all that stuff. Even if he wanted to, he couldn't."

Even in the scenario that Rhule ends up leaving for Penn State, it wouldn't be surprising to see Raiola transfer with him. Raiola has started for Rhule and Nebraska since his freshman year last season, and has built a strong connection with his head coach. Raiola does not see that happening, but regardless of where Rhule is coaching next year, it's possible that Raiola will be his quarterback.


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Eva Geitheim
EVA GEITHEIM

Eva Geitheim is a contributor to the Breaking and Trending News team at Sports Illustrated. Prior to joining SI in December 2024, she wrote for Newsweek, Gymnastics Now and Dodgers Nation. A Bay Area native, she has a bachelor's in communications from UCLA. When not writing, she can be found baking or re-watching Gilmore Girls.