“I think that’s unfair to him. He can’t go out there and make plays”. The Cornhuskers fans know how Satterfield, last year’s OC, regressed the offense as the team stood 98th nationally in points per game. The criticisms? They were apparent, and Dylan Raiola was just a freshman last year. But this bold statement by Dylan Raiola is a proclamation of his final arrival, the tiptoeing behind center ends, and the QB is taking the whole team under him. Didn’t believe? We saw some glimpses of that last year as the QB produced 2,819 passing yards. This off-season? It’s going well, too. The overall body weight has come down as demanded by Matt Rhule, and the QB is looking well-oiled. But he still has the ‘July’ challenge to face, according to Matt Rhule.

Rhule is currently on the same trajectory that he was with Temple (2013-2016) and Baylor (2017-2019), which is turning the program around. For instance, we saw at Baylor how the head coach improved on his record year after year and finally produced an 11-win season. In Nebraska? The head coach finished with a 7-6 season and is looking for at least ten wins in 2025. But there’s a glaring leadership situation that the head coach wants Dylan Raiola and the boys to sort out themselves.

Well, we all know that June has become the most important month in terms of recruiting and taking care of players who are already in the camp. The coaches aren’t allowed on the road, and the teams perform at full throttle, with all the coaches available on the campus. This is what Matt Rhule is planning, as he said, “June is the craziest 23 days of the year for football for the staff, and because it’s like recruiting player development camps and we refuse to slack anything off“. But after June, many head coaches and primary coaches are on the road recruiting. That leaves the players with the 4th string coaches and assistants; thus, from a leadership perspective, July becomes incredibly important.

Speaking on the ‘Husker Online’ podcast on YouTube, the head coach said that the coaches would not be involved in July, and the guys in the locker room, especially Dylan, will have to voluntarily organize themselves. “I’ve always wanted the coaches to be away for the month of July. I think it’s good for them. What’s happened is we have a group of guys that have, you know, said, ‘Hey, I’m going to take on a leadership role.’ And I know I know Dylan’s, the one in the press conference, acknowledged some of those names. But you know, they came to me with a plan, and I just told him, I said, I don’t want to hear about your plan, just do it.”

We all know Raiola is already emerging as a leader on the team, as apparent from the fact that the guy took full responsibility for the Illinois loss last year. The QB, without any hesitation, declared, “ I’ll take this game on my back, and I have to get better and be better for our team. I put us in a position to win“. The team may have lost against Illinois in overtime by 31-24, but they got themselves a leader. However, this time the question is: Can Raiola emerge as the alpha in the locker room, without any external help?

We saw Raiola performing at his ultimate caliber in the recent spring practices. Moreover, since the off-season brought it two more QBs in TJ Lateef and Marcos Davila, Dylan’s attitude towards being a leader became more focused. Even the head coach termed Raiola’s leadership commitment as “trying to be a leader“. Although he did say that there’s still work to be done.  Also, when you have led your team to their first bowl game since 2016, the leadership part comes easily, right? Still, there will be things needing care.

While leadership will surely be a prime trait that Rhule would be looking for in Dylan. Still, his on-field performances also need to take a step up compared to the 2024 season. For starters, Dylan was sacked 27 times in 2024 and had issues with fumbling the ball when in duress. Add to that his 11 interceptions last season and inconsistent efficiency; all scream that he may need to take a significant step up. If he can do that, the 6-foot-3 and 230 lbs sophomore will have everything he needs to be the touted successor of Patrick Mahomes.

Patrick Mahomes’ trajectory on for Dylan Raiola?

Matt Rhule has done well with recruiting this year and has roped in some of the best players on transfers. The offensive line had issues last year? In came Rocco Spindler from Notre Dame. Talk about receiving struggles? Dane Key from Kentucky and Nyziah Hunter from Cal came hopping in. All in all, the head coach has roped in 17 transfers and looks ready to face the test of the 2025 season. But guess what? In that first game of the 2025 season, we may actually see Dylan meeting Patrick Mahomes after all.

As reported by the program, they will open their 2025 season on August 28, 2025, against the Cincinnati Bearcats, and the fixture will actually take place at Arrowhead Stadium. Yes, folks, you heard that right! The home of the Kansas City Chiefs and Mahomes. The head coach opened up on the fixture, too. “Saw some people from the Chiefs while I was down there. So, I think people in that area are really excited that we’re coming down. We’re recruiting that area at a really high level.”

Could this be the moment where Dylan finally finds his rhythm on the same grass where Mahomes scrambles and finds those incredible passes? The QB even said during the 2025 practice that, “Guys like Mahomes, they make it look easy, but it’s hours of work. I’m trying to get better at that—extending plays like he does“. Even the new Nebraska OC, Holgorsen, stated that Dylan spends hours watching Mahomes on tape. “Dylan loves watching Mahomes, and you can see it in how he tries to mimic some of those off-platform throws.” So, yes, the admiration for Mahomes is there. But can 2025 be the season ahead for Dylan Raiola to show his prowess?

It is tough, but doable. They will have Michigan and MSU consecutively and then go on to face USC on 1st November. Then the UCLA game with Nico Iamaleava as their QB now will be tough, and Penn State? The way James Franklin is assembling his team this year, he’s not just prepared for a Natty; the man is going in an all-out war in the Big 10.