Dave Feit: Dissecting Dylan Raiola's Freshman Season

Before projecting the Husker quarterback's potential in 2025, it's essential to revisit the ups and downs of 2024.

After their 2024 loss to UCLA, Dylan Raiola and the Huskers got a new offensive coordinator. | Kenny Larabee, KLIN

First of two parts.

There's a lot to discuss regarding the outlook for Nebraska quarterback Dylan Raiola's sophomore season. But before we go down that road, it is important to look back and see where he's been. Everything that happened in 2024 - the early success, struggles, renewed hope, offseason drama and more - will play a role in how Raiola plays this fall, how we the fans react, and ultimately how far the Huskers can go. 

We'll begin with a look at Raiola's 2024 season.  

Or, as I prefer to think of it, seasons (plural). Dylan Raiola had three very distinct seasons during his 2024 campaign. 

Season 1 - Early Success

Raiola came out strong in the 2024 opener against UTEP. He was making throws that few people had ever seen in Memorial Stadium, especially from a quarterback wearing the home jersey. 

This Dylan was there in the Colorado game and most of the Big Ten opener against Illinois. Remember the beautiful back-shoulder throw to Jahmal Banks and a gorgeous pass to Isaiah Neyor, thrown on the run, that dropped in over the outstretched hands of an Illini linebacker? It was impressive. 

Dylan Raiola scrambles for a 12-yard gain against Colorado last season. | Kenny Larabee, KLIN

But the fourth quarter of that game was a turning point. Two fumbles. An overthrow of a wide-open Luke Lindemeyer on third down before a missed field goal. Three sacks in a dreadful overtime possession. 

Season 1 ended on that Friday night. 

In the four games of Season 1, Raiola averaged 241.8 yards per game with a 72.2% completion percentage. He threw eight touchdowns passes and just two interceptions. He wasn't perfect, but the future was bright. 

Season 2 - Injury and the freshman wall

The middle stretch of games - Purdue, Rutgers, Indiana, Ohio State and UCLA - comprises Season 2.

I don't think it was ever disclosed, but Raiola was clearly playing at less than 100% for the majority of these games. To my untrained eye, he appeared to be dealing with an ankle or foot injury that messed up his mechanics and limited his mobility. Rewatch these games and you'll see a quarterback who isn't stepping into throws.  

Defensive coordinators now had enough tape to crack the complex code that was Marcus Satterfield's offense and threw some new looks Raiola. Additionally, the level of competition ramped up. Indiana was a playoff team. Ohio State won the national championship. That's tough for a QB operating at full strength. 

The Indiana game - a 56-7 loss - was a disaster for Nebraska on both sides of the ball. | Rich Janzaruk/Herald-Times / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

Almost all freshmen - even five-star QBs - hit a rough patch. His numbers (190.8 yards per game, completing just 59.2% of his throws, and an ugly ratio of two touchdowns against six interceptions) certainly reflect that.* 

*I will point out that even in Raiola's worst stretch of the 2024 season he was still much better than the numbers put up by Jeff Sims, Heinrich Haarberg and Chubba Purdy in 2023. They combined for 135.9 passing yards per game on 52.1% of their throws with 10 TDs and 16 INTs. 

Season 2 was when Dylan Raiola hit the wall. 

Season 3 - Dawn of Dana Holgorsen

After the loss to UCLA, Satterfield was stripped of his play-calling duties. Dana Holgorsen was brought in to take over the Husker offense. Holgorsen worked to simplify the offense, which was very beneficial for his true freshman QB.  

The first four games of the Dylan/Dana era were quite promising. Yes, Nebraska went just 2-2, including an anemic 10-point outing against Iowa, but it was easy to see the confidence returning. Some extra healing over the bye week likely helped too. 

While Raiola's stats for the entire year (completing 67.1% of his throws for 216.1 yards per game, with 13 TDs and 11 INTs) might not be as dynamic as some fans and pundits were expecting, I would encourage you to primarily judge him by what we saw in Season 3 (71.7% completions, 224.5 yards per game, 3 TDs and 3 INTs). That's the foundation on which 2025 will be built.  

Dylan Raiola was interception-free as he threw for 293 yards on 28-of-38 passing against Wisconsin in 2024. | Kenny Larabee, KLIN

Overall, Dylan Raiola's 2,819 passing yards in 2024 are the seventh-most in school history. It was the fifth-best season by any true freshman in the Big Ten since 2000 (h/t Arbitrary Analytics). He broke Adrian Martinez's freshman record for passing yards. Raiola was 10 completions away from tying Joe Ganz's single-season record (285).  

This is a good time to point out that per the research of Parker Fleming (@statsowar), Raiola lost 203 yards to drops - the 25th-most in the nation. I'll also remind you that two of his 11 interceptions started out in the hands of his receivers, but were wrested away by defenders. The second happened in the end zone on what should have been a touchdown in a game Nebraska lost in overtime. 

Even if it didn't always feel like it, Dylan Raiola had one hell of a freshman year. 

* * *

In the next installment, we'll look ahead to the 2025 season, including some hopes and expectations. 

But here is one guarantee I'm willing to make: 

After a loss, somebody will complain about how Raiola should have spent more of his offseason working out or studying the playbook instead of goofing off. 

A quick look back at how the young quarterback started his offseason: 

• Before the Pinstripe Bowl, he quashed rumors that he was entering the transfer portal. 
• He showed up in the Kansas City Chiefs locker room after the AFC Championship game.  
• He was regularly at Nebraska basketball games, Omaha Supernovas matches, and big high school basketball games in Lincoln and Omaha.  
• Raiola and running back Emmett Johnson posted dance videos on TikTok. 
• The two even recorded a snow day announcement for Omaha's Skutt Catholic High School. 

"That ain't Pat." 😂

Nebraska QB Dylan Raiola was in the Chiefs locker room after their AFC Championship win 😅

(via @isiah_pachecoRB) pic.twitter.com/qmORFMPRfL

— SportsCenter (@SportsCenter) January 27, 2025

Throw in some concerns about Raiola's weight* and the Dylan discourse of January, February and March was rather toxic. Thankfully, the start of spring practices provided a distraction from our collective angst and anxiety. 

*Those of you with great genetics and perfect metabolism, feel free to criticize his weight. But I'm guessing that if your dad was an All-Pro lineman of Polynesian descent, it might not be realistic to go through life with 6% body fat.  

Here's my scorching hot take on Dylan Raiola's public appearances, TikToks and worries about his "Dad bod": 

Who cares? 

It's not realistic to expect him to spend every minute of every day focused on football - not matter how many recruiting stars he had, or what we assume he makes from his NIL deals. 

As some former players and coaches might tell you, the Nebraska fishbowl isn't for everyone. He's not doing anything illegal. The most questionable thing Raiola has done is record two videos with the child known as Baby Gronk.* 

*I - a guy nearly 30 years removed from college - found the Baby Gronk thing stupid. That said, I have fond memories of doing stupid things in college. Going out with my buddies. Meeting weird people. Not sticking to a 2,500-calorie diet.  

Every Gen X'er in the world is happy that cellphone cameras and social media did not exist when we were young. Because I guarantee some regrettable video content of yours truly would be out there. 

If anything, Raiola's desire to be out and in public shows me that he embraces the spotlight and won't shy away when the lights are brightest. 

Repeat after me: It's okay if Dylan Raiola has fun. 

I'll say this as an observation and not a threat: If he's unhappy here, if he feels smothered and micromanaged, or feels the fans turn on him, it will be easy for him to hop in the portal. If he's happy and comfortable, he'll likely stay until graduation or declaring for the NFL draft.  

I know which one I pick. 

If I had a dollar for every TikTok dance video that comes across my timeline featuring a Nebraska volleyball player, I could buy courtside seats. And yet, I never see any pushback when the volleyball players post videos. Is that because volleyball wins more than football? Is it because of gender stereotypes held by fans? I don't know the answer, but it is easy to see the double standard. 

And kindly get out of here with the notion that making videos means Raiola is unfocused or unprepared. One of my all-time favorite Husker videos is Tommie Frazier rapping into a bottle of hot sauce with Terrell Farley before the 1995 national championship game. Was Frazier unserious about his craft? Did he not care about winning the Fiesta Bowl? Or was he a college kid making a silly video with a friend? 

* * *

This season is an opportunity for the fan base to decide who we collectively want to be in the new world of college football. Revenue sharing, NIL and unlimited transfers mean that every player is a free agent every year. Tampering, peer recruitment and more are the new name of the game. 

Nebraska can be a place where fans freak out when players are in the public eye, creating unrealistic expectations. Or this can be a place that appreciates and celebrates the individual personalities of their star players. A destination where players can build their personal brands AND win games. 

Even if they make videos with Baby Gronk. 

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