Why Matt Rhule’s Challenge to Dylan Raiola Suggests He’s Not Going Anywhere

Amid portal rumors, Matt Rhule sent a message to Dylan Raiola that said everything about Nebraska’s future.

Husker quarterback Dylan Raiola, who's thrown for 4,819 passing yards in 22 games at Nebraska. | Kenny Larabee, KLIN

LINCOLN—Nebraska head coach Matt Rhule didn’t mince words when asked about quarterback Dylan Raiola’s future and his recovery from the broken fibula that ended his sophomore season.

Instead of uncertainty, speculation, or coach-speak, Rhule delivered something far more revealing: a challenge. Despite rumors spread prior to Thanksgiving suggesting Nebraska was preparing for life without Raiola, the Husker head coach offered the clearest indication yet that Nebraska fully expects his return as their franchise quarterback in 2026.

Raiola, who made significant strides from his freshman to sophomore seasons, is entering a pivotal third year, and one that could see him drafted in the NFL next spring. And according to Rhule, this offseason isn’t just about rehab, it’s about transforming into the player they always knew he could be.

There's some doubt about the future of Dylan Raiola at Nebraska, sources tell @CBSSports.

Raiola's brother, Dayton, decommitted from the Huskers last week, and the program is bracing for Dylan to explore his future options. https://t.co/J0RSt1RKR5 pic.twitter.com/2TN9cEB1Iv

— Chris Hummer (@chris_hummer) November 26, 2025

If there was any curiosity about where Raiola stands in Nebraska’s long-term plans, Rhule removed it with the most direct messaging he’s offered all year. When asked about Raiola’s future and his recovery timeline, Rhule didn’t speak like a coach preparing to lose his quarterback; he spoke like one laying down the blueprint for his return.

“I think Dylan’s at a place right now where you’re going through a hard time when you’re injured. What I've encouraged him to do is embrace it and attack it. Let it hurt. Let it hurt that you’re not out there playing and consistently write down every day what [you are] learning and what [you] need to do. Dylan made tremendous progress from year 1 to year 2, but there's progress that needs to be made moving forward. I want to see him own that.”

That’s not transfer-portal language; it's developmental, and a head coach challenging a returning starter to treat the offseason like a personal referendum. Rhule didn’t talk about uncertainty or roster fluidity. He talked about journaling, accountability, growth, and the expectation that Raiola continues the trajectory he started when arriving on campus in 2023.

Nebraska quarterback Dylan Raiola threw for 2,000 passing yards and 18 touchdowns in eight and a half games this fall. | Kenny Larabee, KLIN

Some may think you can read between the lines, but Rhule doubled down on his statement moments later.

“I want to see him take it and run with it, even at this time. Dylan’s a tremendous worker, but I want to see him make a jump. This is year three coming up for him. He’s got to become the quarterback that we all know he can be. We’ll help him, but that falls on his shoulders, and I’m anxious to see him do it.”

When a coach references “year three” without hesitation, it speaks volumes. Staffs don't map out a player’s year three leap, let alone publicly discuss it, if they believe that player is entering the transfer portal. They don't publicly challenge a player to “own” his development unless they’re confident he'll be in the building to respond.

Rhule’s message was clear: Raiola isn’t just part of Nebraska’s future, he’s central to it. And instead of dismissing the question or softening expectations during his recovery, the Huskers' head coach gave him something much more telling. A challenge only a returning QB1 receives.

Nebraska quarterback Dylan Raiola greets the team as the walk into the stadium before the game against the Iowa Hawkeyes at Memorial Stadium. | Dylan Widger-Imagn Images

The extent of Raiola’s next leap is ultimately up to him and the roster Nebraska builds around him, but his freshman season made one thing clear: the Huskers are working with a quarterback whose long-term ceiling fits comfortably among college football’s elite. Thrown into the fire as a true freshman starter in a rugged Big Ten slate, Raiola never looked overwhelmed. Instead, he closed his first year in Lincoln, giving the program real evidence that the long-awaited stability at quarterback might finally be taking shape.

Statistically, Raiola’s 2024 campaign was one of the most productive freshman seasons in Nebraska history. A semifinalist for the Shaun Alexander Freshman of the Year Award, he won the starting job outright and proceeded to start all 13 games. He completed better than 67 percent of his passes while throwing for 2,819 yards and 13 touchdowns and placed himself firmly on the national radar. His accuracy stood out immediately, as his completion percentage ranked third on Nebraska’s single-season chart regardless of class.

Beyond the program records, Raiola’s production compared favorably to every young quarterback in the country. He threw for the most yards of any freshman in school history and posted the highest single-season completion percentage ever by a Nebraska freshman. Nationally, he led all FBS freshmen and ranked 13th overall in completion percentage, while his passing yardage total placed him third among all freshman quarterbacks. For a player learning on the fly against veteran Big Ten defenses, the level of efficiency he displayed was rare.

More importantly for Nebraska’s long-term outlook, Raiola’s freshman season wasn’t built on volume alone. He showed command, poise, and a willingness to distribute the ball rather than force it — traits not commonly found in first-year starters. Even in games where the offense struggled, Raiola’s decision-making and accuracy gave the Huskers a chance to stay competitive. By the end of the season, it was evident the Huskers had found not just a talented passer, but the type of foundational quarterback the program could build around. And that set the stage for a sophomore year that, despite ending abruptly due to injury, revealed even more about his growth and future trajectory.

Dylan Raiola fires a pass against Akron while throwing for 364 yards and four touchdowns on the night. | Kenny Larabee, KLIN

As a sophomore, Raiola took everything he did well in year one and improved upon it. What had been an encouraging freshman foundation turned into a genuine sophomore surge, as Raiola opened the 2025 campaign looking every bit like one of the conference’s most efficient and dangerous passers. Through nine games, he not only elevated Nebraska’s offense, but he also proved that the jump from year one to year two was happening right before our eyes.

The improvement began with accuracy. Raiola raised his completion percentage from an already impressive 67 percent as a freshman to a Big Ten–leading 72.4 percent in 2025, setting a new Nebraska single-season record in the process. He was more decisive, more confident pushing the ball downfield, and far more efficient in the red zone. His touchdown-to-interception ratio reflected that growth, as he threw 18 touchdowns in nine games and dramatically cut down on turnover-worthy plays. By the time his season ended, he ranked fourth nationally in completion percentage, 19th in passing touchdowns, and 21st in passing efficiency, the type of statistical profile that typically belongs to veteran quarterbacks, not necessarily a sophomore in his second year of major college football.

What made Raiola’s leap even more impressive is that it came despite persistent pressure. Through 8.5 games, he was sacked 27 times, yet he stayed poised and continued delivering high-level production. Some of his best outings came in games where Nebraska struggled to protect him. He opened the season by going 33-of-42 for 243 yards and two touchdowns in the win over Cincinnati, tying the fourth-most completions in a single game in school history. Against Akron, he turned in his first career 300-yard passing game, throwing for 364 yards and a career-best four touchdowns on 31 attempts. And even against Michigan, where he was sacked seven times, the sophomore totaled 308 passing yards and three touchdowns in the loss.

When Raiola went down with a broken fibula in the third quarter against USC, Nebraska lost more than its starting quarterback, it lost an offense that had quietly grown into one of the Big Ten’s most efficient passing attacks. The Huskers were 6-2 at the time and still availably positioned to make a push for a college football playoff berth. The way Raiola elevated both his accuracy and his command of the offense made it clear that his sophomore season wasn’t going to be a plateau, but more of a springboard. And that momentum is exactly why his rehab, mindset, and his 2026 potential have, and will continue to be, the center of Nebraska’s offseason conversation.

A FLAWLESS fade route. 🙌 pic.twitter.com/guDywpI7xQ

— NBC Sports (@NBCSports) November 1, 2025

If year two was the leap, year three has the makings of the breakout. Raiola’s trajectory mirrors the developmental arc Rhule has emphasized throughout his coaching career, year one is survival, year two is growth, and year three is where players typically shift from talented to transformative. It's the year when physical maturity, schematic mastery, and game-speed comfort all converge, and Raiola is entering that window with more experience than most quarterbacks his age ever get.

The foundation around him is also set to improve. Nebraska’s offensive line is expected to be healthier, deeper, and more impactful next fall, with several pieces returning and reinforcements assumably arriving through the portal. The Huskers’ skill positions will likely feature new faces, but Nebraska is slated to return its top two pass catchers in Nyziah Hunter and Jacory Barney in 2026. For the first time in his career, he will look to start a season surrounded by a supporting cast built not just to survive the Big Ten, but to threaten the top tier at its very core.

Continuity is another major piece of the puzzle. Raiola will be entering his second year in the same system, working with the same staff, and operating an offense tailored more closely to his strengths. That stability gives him a significant advantage compared to last year, and it is something Nebraska has very intentionally been building toward. The more Raiola masters the playbook, the more this offense can evolve into the quarterback-driven unit Rhule envisioned when he signed him.

And perhaps the clearest sign of all, Nebraska is building around Raiola, not away from him. Every roster decision, every offensive tweak, every structural investment signals confidence that he is the program’s centerpiece heading into 2026. Combine that with Rhule’s public challenge, one that sounded less like a warning and more like a declaration of belief, and the path ahead becomes obvious. If Raiola’s sophomore season hinted at what he can be, his junior year may be the one where he finally becomes it.

The bottom line is, the transfer portal rumor that surfaced around Thanksgiving never lined up with anything coming out of Lincoln. It originated from CBS’s Chris Hummer, a national reporter with no clear ties to Nebraska’s program, which made the timing feel more like low-risk, high-reward content than sourced reporting. In today’s media landscape, a national writer can float a speculative possibility with little consequence, and based on everything that’s happened since, this one clearly falls into that category.

Inside the program, the tone told a completely different story. When something serious is brewing, coaches typically shift into vague, noncommittal language. Rhule went the opposite direction, speaking in detail about Raiola’s development, challenging him publicly, and outlining why year three means so much. That is not the behavior of a staff bracing for a quarterback to leave.

Context only reinforces that picture. Nebraska’s NIL structure is stable, his top targets are set, and more importantly able, to return, and he will be entering year two in a system specifically designed around his strengths. Everything about Nebraska’s internal messaging and roster planning suggests confidence in Raiola’s future in Lincoln, not concern. The outside noise may generate clicks, but it doesn’t reflect the reality inside the program.

Husker head coach Matt Rhule has gone 19-18 in three years as head coach. | Tommy Gilligan-Imagn Images

When the noise peaked, Rhule had every opportunity to offer the kind of cautious language coaches often hide behind. He chose the opposite, aiming his message squarely at his quarterback by challenging him to rise, improve, and take the next step. It was less damage control and more conviction.

That’s why, despite the chatter, the picture remains simple. Nebraska is building toward a breakthrough season with Raiola as its foundation, and nothing in Rhule’s words suggested otherwise. If 2025 hinted at what he can be, 2026 is where Nebraska expects the payoff.

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