It’s year three for Matt Rhule at Nebraska. And we know what happens whenever the calendar flips to mark the HC’s third year. Lincoln is abuzz with energy after Nebraska’s great run last season. This time, with his crown jewel Dylan Raiola ready to inflict some damage, Matt Rhule had full hope that this time, the QB would not disappoint. And the QB has a major admission of his own, which will surely have fans excited about his return.

Raiola seemed to be the sole addition to the Huskers roster that tipped the scales to their favor last year. He was a 5-star prospect who followed his uncle to Lincoln and single-handedly changed the odds for Nebraska. During the season, he lived up to some of the hype, not having the results everyone was expecting him to get. And in the off months, both coach and QB kept a strict eye on his flaws, working relentlessly to overcome them.

“He’s done a great job with his body, knowledge of the offense, his command of the roster and team…He now embraces when he is frustrated, when things aren’t going well, and he puts it on himself to fix,” Rhule told the press at the Big Ten Media Days. Dylan Raiola looks physically better and has emerged as a great leader for the squad already. He’s already become the face of the program.

For Rhule’s 3 year theory to pan out, Dylan Raiola has to come out better than his last season. He has the tools that make him a QB capable of changing the arc of games. But his skills weren’t quite polished, a flaw that started to show during the middle of the season. What looked like a great season for Nebraska suddenly wasn’t anymore. Raiola has worked tirelessly to make 2025 a year about his strengths first, and little about his flaws. With the way he’s approaching the season, it sure looks like we will get the full package of the Dylan Raiola magic this season.

Dylan Raiola promises fans a major improvement in 2025

The QB was also there at the event and hopes to improve the one major flaw almost every expert pointed out. “I know fans will love this but, running. I’m going to be excited to run a lot more this year,” he said. Running the ball was something he struggled with last year. Raiola’s weight seemed to be a serious problem, as fans and experts continued pointing out that Dylan Raiola needed to run more to keep Nebraska in the position to win games safely.

“They want him (Dylan Raiola) to be able to make plays with his feet. I mean, you’re not going to see a lot of reads, option stuff, or anything like that. But if you need to go out and pick up third and five on a scramble or something like that, I think they want to see more willingness on his part to do that,” Husker247’s Michael Bruntz told the Cover 3 Podcast. Raiola is confident that this issue of his will soon be a thing of the past, having attacked it in the camps so far.

Now, he seems to have skipped over that hurdle. With the way Nebraska is shaping up, maybe Matt Rhule’s 3 year will bring the Huskers some much-needed celebration. Dylan Raiola seems to be all in for redemption in his second year as starting QB. Can Nebraska go back to its winning ways with this newfound zeal?