Dylan Raiola rocked the Patrick Mahomes look, but couldn’t channel him on the field. As he hits the transfer portal, Matt Rhule holds no grudges. Instead, the head coach expresses gratitude for what he brought to the program. At the same time, Rhule noted that the quarterback spot in Lincoln is ultimately replaceable.

“Dylan made his decision, Rhule shared on the December 17th episode of the Huskers Radio Network podcast.

He was really the first five-star to come here and signal to everybody, ‘Hey, it’s cool to come to Nebraska.’ Dylan did a great job for us, got us to back-to-back bowl games. So, really grateful to Dylan for all.”

On Monday, December 15, reports surfaced that Dylan Raiola is expected to enter the transfer portal. Before a broken fibula cut his season short at nine starts, Rhule’s quarterback was in the middle of a breakout Year Two, throwing for 2,000 yards with 18 touchdowns and just six picks, while boosting his completion rate from 67.1% to 72.4%.

Rhule’s appreciation for Raiola runs deep.

The quarterback helped lift Nebraska to its first bowl appearance since 2016 during a 7-5 debut season, leading all FBS true freshmen and shattering the program’s freshman passing record with 2,819 yards in 2024. However, Rhule accepts the current reality of college football, which is plagued by the chaos of the transfer portal. 

“A lot of guys want to play at Nebraska, and the minute that news hit, my phone started blowing up,” the head coach shared.

However, turns out that Rhule is not quite ready to look outside of the Lincoln camp and is counting on TJ Lateef. 

“TJ went to UCLA, and what he did, our team rallied around him,” stated Rhule. “Came back against Penn State, we didn’t play very well on defense. But if you go back and watch that game, you see a guy in TJ who wasn’t intimidated.” 

Nebraska held a 14-6 lead over USC when Raiola went down with a second-half injury on November 1. Per Dana Holgorsen, that was the moment the switch flipped.

“I believe if that wouldn’t have happened, things are different,” said the offensive coordinator.

True freshman Lateef took over as USC surged back for a 21-17 win. Raiola later underwent surgery to repair the fracture. Lateef responded by guiding a road win at UCLA, which earned him a Big Ten co-Freshman Player of the Week honor. 

While the lopsided 37-10 loss to Penn State Nittany Lions tempted casual blame toward Lateef, the tape tells a different story. The game was lost up front and through systemic breakdowns, not the passing game. Lateef finished 21-of-37 for 187 yards with a rushing touchdown, a steady outing for a freshman in a hostile environment.

“He can swing the ball, and he can run it,” said Rhule’s offensive lineman Tyler Knaak in praise of Lateef. “It’s really helpful for Dan [Holgorsen] and his staff to be able to have that versatility of the quarterback where you have that dual-threat style.”

How is Rhule and Co. going to proceed with the Raiola void?

Matt Rhule and Nebraska’s open-minded quarterback hunt

The Nebraska staff has turned the knob on their new quarterback search. 

“You get the best available,” said Rhule’s offensive coordinator. “Is it a pocket guy? Is it a dual-threat guy, more of a runner? We’re actively watching quarterbacks, and have been watching quarterbacks to try to make those decisions.”

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Even as Rhule and company turn the page, questions remain about Raiola’s next destination. With Garrett Nussmeier now out of eligibility, the LSU Tigers are emerging as a logical landing spot, while On3 sources indicate that the Louisville Cardinals are also firmly in the mix.

“Sources have mentioned Oregon as an early school of interest for Dylan Raiola and his camp,” CBS Sports’ Chris Hummer tweeted.

Once upon a time, the Raiolas had a firm footing inside the Nebraska program. Dylan Raiola’s uncle, Donovan, survived the coaching transition and remained on staff when Rhule took over. But after a brutal home loss to the Iowa Hawkeyes to close the regular season, Rhule pulled the plug and fired him.

No offensive-line coach. No Dylan Raiola. Now the pressure shifts to Matt Rhule. Is TJ Lateef the guy, or will Nebraska go shopping in the portal?