The Memorial Stadium was jam-packed in Lincoln that day. The stands were not just a sea of red; it was Tsunami painted in a red hue. A freshman boy walked down the tunnel, hands raised in the air and a walk oddly familiar to Cornhuskers’ fans. The announcer announced, “The same tunnel walk that has been passed down from one generation to the next. And this is a legacy near an offensive line. His dad snapped it. Now, the quarterback is under center. Here’s this, as he walks out.” This was Dylan Raiola registering his arrival in Nebraska’s opening game against UTEP Miners. And thus began his first season in Scarlet and Cream.

Raiola threw for 238 yards, scoring 2 touchdowns as the game ended at 40-7 against UTEP. Just as the season progressed, we knew that Dominic Raiola’s blood runs deep in his veins. Over the course of the season, he showed moments of exceptional brilliance, although with a slight falter on occasions. But, as a freshman, the player exceeded all expectations and finished the season at a 67.1% completion rate for 2,819 yards as he guided the Cornhuskers to their first bowl game win since 2015. But then rolled in the offseason, and some of his initiatives off the field came under criticism…

The major criticism leveled against him was about his frequent attendance at basketball games and his regular public appearances. Supporters of other teams started to troll him on social media, accusing him of boosting his NIL and not focusing on the actual game. But the actual thing might be something else, and Dylan Raiola is just being misconstrued for his intentions. Mitch Sherman of ‘Locked on Nebraska’ provided the reasoning behind Raiola’s public appearances.

“I think Dylan looks at his job as a Nebraska quarterback differently than most who have come before him in that position. I think a lot of the reason he does is because of his dad’s career and the fact that Dominic was close with the quarterbacks of the (Detroit) Lions, and Dylan has picked things up, you know, whether it was directly told to him or it’s just an observation that he made.“ Of course, Dylan Raiola has a storied legacy through his father, Dominic Raiola, who played center for Nebraska and later in the NFL. So, naturally, he will have that winning tendency that his father had when he won the Rimington trophy in 2000. But it’s more than that because of his legacy.

It may also be because of the reason that he grew up in an environment where he got the exposure to be the best and how to connect to his supporters. It is possible that he is more genuinely interested in fitting into the culture at Nebraska than doing it for NIL gains. Shane also provided his insight. “He’s trying very hard to be a great representative of Nebraska football, and sometimes it’s really misconstrued or picked up in a different way by fans of other programs.”

And he is right; there’s no harm in fitting in and knowing about the culture of your college. At least that’s what his dad would want, right? Moving on. It seems Nebraska’s head coach is making a tough decision on a major problem in his camp.

Matt Rhule’s controversial plan

Matt Rhule is someone who is known for doing his recruitment very early on and after very thorough deliberation. As is evident by his football classes, but more than that, his transfers. In his 2025 class, there are 20 freshman prospects and 16 transfer portal players. Moreover, he also doesn’t shy away from using his freshman players right away. As was evident after the emergence of players like Jacorey Barney, Carter Nelson, and Donovan Jones. But now he wants to keep these players at Nebraska, so he has come up with a fairly controversial plan.

The plan is to do away with open scrimmage for supporters in a bid to shield his players from potential tampering and scouting. He said in a statement. “The word ‘tampering’ no longer exists. It’s just an absolutely free, open, common market. So, I don’t necessarily want to open up to the outside world. I don’t want these guys all being able to watch our guys and say. ‘Wow, he looks like a pretty good player. Let’s go get him.”

Well, Matt Rhule is facing major criticism due to his statement. But the thing is, what can coaches do when there’s an open transfer portal, and players are willing to jump ship for financial gain? This is the NIL era right here, and don’t get surprised if Matt Rhule actually follows through with his plan.