How Accurate Was Stinging Criticism of Former Nebraska Quarterback Dylan Raiola?

Raiola feels the heat in The Athletic’s deep dive on transfer-portal QBs

Former Nebraska quarterback Dylan Raiola was criticized in an article on transfer-portal quarterbacks by The Athletic. | Dylan Widger-Imagn Images

Former Nebraska quarterback Dylan Raiola took some hard criticism in an analysis of transfer-portal quarterbacks written by The Athletic.

The Athletic’s Antonio Morales wrote that he asked “personnel staffers around the country their thoughts on these quarterbacks. They were granted anonymity so they could speak candidly.”

The headlines from Morales’ story:

* Raiola never was “the transcendent player” Husker fans hoped for.
* Raiola never “elevated the situation around him.”
* He took too many quarterback sacks.

The details on Raiola

Here are The Athletic comments on Raiola:

“Raiola was committed to Ohio State, then Georgia, before he signed with the Cornhuskers during the 2024 recruiting cycle. He was solid as a true sophomore in 2025 before going down with an injury in early November, but he was never the transcendent player Nebraska fans hoped for when he joined the program.

“Nebraska never put it together in terms of scheme and personnel around Raiola, and he never really elevated the situation around him

“The Cornhuskers struggled along the offensive line, which was its own problem, but Raiola contributed to the offensive issues as well.”

“He takes too many sacks and, in my opinion, sacks are a quarterback stat,” said a Big Ten staffer, who has seen Raiola in person.

“Obviously, it’s an offensive line thing, but most people don’t put enough stock into the quarterback. The quarterback checks the protections. The quarterback can escape and extend. The quarterback knows when to get the ball out. The quarterback accurately goes through his progressions. It’s on the quarterback, too.”

About the comments …

The most condemning comments were about Raiola’s sacks. His lack of mobility was unmistakable. Many times he would be back to pass, and with the pocket collapsing and defenders closing in, Raiola didn’t seem to have a Plan B. He had little escapability.

Sacks kill drives — plain and simple.

There was a consensus that Raiola held onto the ball too long, adding to the risk of sacks.

Defensive coordinators game-planning for Nebraska had an obvious soft spot to attack, and getting after Raiola was it. He was sacked 27 times in eight-plus games. Against overmatched Akron and Houston Christian, Raiola was not sacked in either game, making the total more glaring.

Obviously, all defensive coordinators want to harass the quarterback, but at times it seemed Raiola was a sitting duck. Strategically, attacking Raiola was the smartest defensive play.

‘Transcendent player’ and ‘elevated the situation around him’

The two other headlines are more about Raiola’s overall talent and not one particular aspect of it. Raiola was a five-star recruit coming into Lincoln. That he never developed into “the transcendent player” isn’t entirely on him. Ten other teammates were on the field with him, and he had a coterie of coaches behind him.

What stuck out, however, was with Emmett Johnson churning out 1,451 yards on the ground, the Nebraska offense didn’t flow or dominate as maybe it should have.

With such an awesome running game, more opportunities for the passing game should have presented themselves. Play-action passes should have made defensive linemen and linebackers hesitate, thus creating open more avenues for pass receivers.

Imagine what kind of season Raiola would have had without Johnson’s productivity. Still, Raiola was solid — as The Athletic noted — with 2,000 passing yards and a ridiculously high completion percentage of 72.4 percent, 18 touchdowns and only six interceptions. He is said to have an NFL-worthy arm.

With those numbers — and Johnson’s numbers — Raiola never “elevated the situation around him,” as The Athletic reported. That blame does fall mostly on the quarterback, who has the ball in his hands every play.

Aside from the Akron and Houston Christian games, Nebraska had only one victory that was by more than one score — 38-27 over visiting Michigan State. The Huskers’ offense never seemed dominant in Big Ten games.

The Huskers were 7-5 and lost three of their last four games. In games Raiola started, the Huskers were 6-2, and led USC, 14-6, early in second half when he suffered a broken fibula. Nebraska eventually lost to the Trojans, 21-17. Would Raiola have made a difference if he hadn't been injured? Probably.

His replacement, TJ Lateef, started and won the next game at UCLA. But the Huskers were crushed in their final two games — at Penn State and at home to Iowa. Would Raiola have helped in those games? Probably not.

Other portal quarterbacks

The Athletic also took deep dives on transfer-portal quarterbacks DJ Lagway (Florida), Brendan Sorsby (Cincinnati) and Aiden Chiles (Michigan State).

Sorsby, who gave Nebraska fits with his running in the season opener and nearly defeated the Huskers, received high praise.

Cincinnati quarterback Brendan Sorsby had little success passing against Nebraska in the season opener but hurt the Huskers with his running and scrambling. | Dylan Widger-Imagn Images

Morales wrote: “A common theme emerged from early conversations: Sorsby is very popular.”

“Sorsby, I love,” a P4 personnel staffer said.

Nebraska likely will consider a portal guy to replace Raiola and compete with Lateef.

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