Dylan Raiola could’ve packed it up after 7-6 in year 1. After all, when the walls were closing in and transfer portal whispers started floating like smoke in December, Raiola could’ve simply hit exit. His freshman year wasn’t great—12 touchdowns, 10 picks, and a season that swung from scorching hot to straight mid. But instead of dipping, Raiola tightened his gloves. Nebraska’s QB1 didn’t just stick around. He locked in, leaned out, and now? All eyes are back on Lincoln. Matt Rhule sees it too.

Year one was a bumpy ride for Dylan Raiola. He opened the season looking like a Big Ten vet, torching Colorado 28-10 and going 3–0 out of the gate. But by the time Nebraska limped into the Pinstripe Bowl, Raiola looked more like a rookie trapped in a cage fight. But here’s the thing—he never folded.

On June 10, Matt Rhule got real on The Jim Rome Show, sharing his thoughts. He even started with a joke when asked, “Where is Dylan Raiola?”

“You first said, where is he right now? I think [Dylan Raiola’s] at a girls camp right now. I think he’s out there coaching young women for flag camp.” Then, he flipped the switch. “I mean, in all seriousness, he and I had lunch today, and he is in such a good place. I mean, he has so many eyes on him. He has the weight and pressure of an entire fan base, of an entire state, of a place of blue-blood like Nebraska, and first year you come in, you know, to me, if you’re a big time recruit, it’s about learning how to handle the pressure, learning how to handle the frustrating moments. I think he did that really well.”

Matt Rhule gave props to Dylan Raiola’s mental toughness for not folding under the pressure. And he doubled down on his grit under adversity: “We had highs and lows. We finished the year on a real uptick, and everyone reached out. He could have taken the easy way out and left and gone the portal, and gone to someplace where you could start over. Maybe he doesn’t have to do as much himself, but he chose to stick it out and fight and came back.”

Matt Rhule sounded proud of his quarterback, who didn’t portal-hop or flinch. Instead, he simply threw himself into the grind. New OC Dana Holgorsen gave the playbook CPR, and now Nebraska’s offense got a new engine under the hood. The weapons are surprisingly good. Jacory Barney’s back after a breakout 55-catch year, and Kentucky transfer Dane Key’s resume speaks for itself—126 catches, 14 touchdowns. Add a reshaped Raiola with a quicker release and real mobility? Things could get exciting in the Big Ten.

Cover 3’s Brad Crawford already has Raiola listed as the most improved QB in the conference. And honestly, it checks out. The system fits him better, the roster’s deeper, and he’s got something to prove. He already shut down the transfer chatter in December, making it clear that he’s all in on Nebraska.

This is not the same Raiola from last fall. Physically and mentally, he’s sharper. Rhule summed it up perfectly: “I’ve been excited to see where he’s at, and he’s mentally where he needs to be from a football perspective, which comes easy to him. He knows everything inside out. Now, his body looks great, [he’s in] tremendous shape. I love [his growth] in the phases of leadership, in the phases of mental toughness, [and] handling adversity. I think he’s going to have a great year.” And now that the spotlight’s back on him, it’s sink or swim time.

The Cornhuskers are betting big on Year 2. With Holgorsen scheming, a reliable WR room, and Raiola looking like a true dual-threat, the floor’s rising. No more freshman grace period. Nebraska wants to eat. And Dylan Raiola is the one holding the fork.

Matt Rhule keeps it real about transfer portal hopping

Matt Rhule’s not here for the portal panic. When he talked to Jim Rome, the HC laid out his vision clear as day: ‘Stick it out and fight’ rather than ‘find a new home.’

“We have a tendency in our society to make everything look instantaneous. But those overnight successes usually take years to happen. And so if you have the ability to play at Nebraska or the ability to play in Washington or whatever, and you are just hitting a little adversity, and I want to teach these guys grit and resiliency. I want to help them push them through it.” Rhule said. For real, that’s the feeling in Lincoln now.

Players like Arik Gilbert, Ian Flynt, and D’Andre Barnes exited post-spring, but most weren’t major contributors. A few boomeranged back, like Hayes Miller. Rhule called it “spring cleaning.” Brutal, but effective.

The numbers show the strategy. Since spring, about 26 players dipped, while 15 new ones came through the door. That’s not a fire sale—that’s roster sculpting. Rhule’s treating the portal like NFL free agency. Just smart, culture-focused choices, not clout chasing or desperate flips.

Matt Rhule also knows how to read the room. “There’s something to guys that are going to make it. Maybe it’s not right now; maybe it’s two years from now,” he told Rome. Translation? Build your own legacy. Don’t go running for the next best thing every time you hit a bump. In the NIL-era Wild West, where players bounce right after they lose their spot on the starting lineup, Rhule is preaching patience and grit. And it’s already showing. Raiola stayed. A lot of players stayed.