Kirk Herbstreit Was Fired Up About Dylan Raiola Mulling Flip to Nebraska, QB’s Father Says

Nebraska football is all about family for five-star quarterback Dylan Raiola, a recent enrollee who could compete to start as a true freshman this fall. Raiola’s father Dominic was an All-American offensive lineman for the Huskers before his lengthy NFL career. His uncle Donovan is the team’s current offensive line coach.

Even so, Dominic Raiola says he didn’t pressure his son to commit to his alma mater. Initially, Raiola was set to play for Kirby Smart at Georgia, but began to express interest in Matt Rhule’s program. In December, he flipped from the SEC power to the school that is looking to get its footing in the Big Ten.

Blue-chip quarterback Dylan Raiola (center) flipped his commitment from Georgia to his father’s alma mater Nebraska, where his uncle Donovan (left) is offensive line coach.

Dylan Widger/USA TODAY Sports

The recruiting rumor mill was spinning fast ahead of Raiola’s big decision, so much so that even ESPN’s Kirk Herbstreit reached out to Dominic to express his opinion on the matter. He was all-in on the blue-chip QB heading to Lincoln as part of Rhule’s rebuild.

“When this was happening, I will bring up one guy’s name: Kirk Herbstreit. He saw the smoke about Dylan entertaining Nebraska, he was like … ‘Is this true? He gotta do it,’” the elder Raiola told Rivals on Wednesday during a National Signing Day interview.

“His affinity for Nebraska, for a guy like that, to tell me and get behind me. I knew I knew he needed to do it, but I wasn’t going to say, ‘You need to change that place or be a part of the change of that place.’ So when Kirk told me that, I was like, ‘Man.’ I’ve had people, other coaches reach out to tell me, ‘That place is special, Coach Rhule’s a special leader.’ So it just snowballed into something really beautiful at the end of the day, and we’re really proud of the decision that he made.”

Even with the family ties, Raiola didn’t make the obvious decision. Georgia is as successful and stable as any program in the country, with a pair of recent national titles under Smart. However, Dominic Raiola—who saw the Huskers’ past dominance up close—believes Nebraska has what it takes to get back to national title contention down the line.

“A lot of kids don’t understand the type of program Nebraska is and has been. … I want him to open other recruits eyes that it’s OK to go back to Nebraska. What Georgia is now, Nebraska was in the late ’90s.”