Will family ties outweigh team loyalty in Nebraska? Just days after firing offensive line coach Donovan Raiola, Matt Rhule now faces the possibility of losing quarterback Dylan Raiola as well. And the speculation only intensified when Rhule declined to give a clear answer on Dylan’s future with the Huskers.

“I’m so sorry, but you guys know I’m not going to talk about any player’s future,” Matt Rhule said during media interaction. “Like, I’m just not doing that. That’s their job, right? They have to announce their own things. I talked to the whole team about Donnie, and certainly to Dylan. I mean, that’s his uncle. He loves him, right? So, I certainly talked to him, but I talked to all the O-linemen. I talked to all the guys.

“Donnie was loved by a lot of guys,” Rhule added. “And at the end of the day, I don’t like firing people. I don’t like affecting their families. I don’t like moving on from people. But I do have to do what I think is right for the program.”

Now, after Donovan Raiola’s firing and Dylan Raiola’s younger brother Dayton’s decommitment from Nebraska, speculations intensified on his move. And that concern only grew after CBS Sports reporter Chris Hummer doubled down on this stance. He confirmed how Raiola explored the portal last year before choosing to stay with the Huskers, and he might do the same this winter after a 7-5 run and losing family ties with the team.

And Matt Rhule’s diplomatic take on the entire thing is just raising more concerns. For now, Raiola has not entered the portal, but reports suggest that he might be checking the kind of NIL opportunities and teams that are interested in him when the portal opens on January 2.

What adds another layer to it is that after Dylan Raiola suffered an injury against the Trojans and broke his fibula, he missed the remaining three games of the season. During that time, backup quarterback TJ Lateef took over the reins and started gaining momentum. This gave another reason for Raiola to look for better options.

But if this move is coming in after his uncle’s firing, then it makes less sense. As Nebraska’s offensive line struggled mightily under Donovan Raiola. He originally joined the program during the Scott Frost era and saw success, but this year the offensive line gave up 30 sacks, with nine in a single game against Minnesota, which ended the Huskers’ championship hopes. Last year also the team recorded 28 sacks, and in 2023, it was 30.

On top of that, during his time with the Huskers, they didn’t produce a single All-Big Ten offensive lineman, even this season when running back Emmett Johnson led the conference. Despite having an NFL background coaching at several stops like the Chicago Bears, Notre Dame, Hawai’i, and Aurora University, Nebraska failed to produce NFL-ready linemen. Even with transfer guard Rocco Spindler.

With Raiola’s uncle, Matt Rhule, he even fired the defensive line coach. Now he’s already eyeing options to replace him.

Matt Rhule eyes a possible replacement of defensive line coach

Nebraska football is going through a hectic stretch as Matt Rhule is aiming to rebuild his team. On Tuesday, his moves continued when he fired the first-year defensive line coach Terry Bradden, and after that, a possible replacement’s name started popping up. Speculations grew faster around Syracuse coach Elijah Robinson, who’s also a longtime friend of Rhule.

Robinson has worked with Matt Rhule at multiple stops. During his time at Penn State, he met Rhule and worked for him at Temple and Baylor, which automatically makes him a perfect fit for his team.

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In his first season with Syracuse, they went 10-3 overall and were inside the top 20 in the final AP poll rankings. Even Robinson’s defense saw a surge, with ten different players recording an interception, 12 players recording sacks, and 22 players having double-digit tackles in 2024. But things changed this year as they ended with a 3-9 run, but this year they are ranked 115th out of 134 teams nationally, allowing 31.5 points per game. It also ranks 123rd in total defense, allowing 430.4 yards per game.

That’s exactly why Syracuse demoted him from defensive coordinator to defensive line coach and co-DC. So it’s clear they are looking for a better option, and even Robinson might look for a move. And what’s better than Matt Rhule’s team? Where he already has ties. But even the LSU Tigers are actively pursuing him. Now, with two teams going back and forth for him, it will be interesting to see which team he actually picks.