Matt Rhule Strikes Gold in Transfer Portal as Keeping Dylan Raiola at Nebraska Becomes Crucial

The Nebraska Cornhuskers’ pursuit of a more prosperous 2025 is unwavering. Year 2 of the Matt Rhule era entailed more of the same- moments of greatness and moments of growth. Their trajectory remained an upward one. The storied program finally breached the 6-win bowl eligibility criteria after a 7-year rut. However, The team has had its fair share of learning experiences. 5 of their 6 losses came by one-score margins. One wonders what could’ve transpired with a dab of luck and marginally better personnel. As the team looks to cut this deficit, more help is on the way via the transfer portal.

A plethora of talent has been traversing through the portal since it opened on December 9. The latest big-ticket entrant in this clique is the no.6 overall recruit in his class. Former 5-star D-Linemen Williams Nwaneri has just announced his decision to move programs. Nwaneri, part of the 2024 class, leaves his disposition at Missouri after just 1 year. His next destination? A short trip west, over to Lincoln. On3’s expert tandem of Steve Wiltfong and Pete Nakos broke this development.

In a video posted on his namesake YouTube channel, Huskers fan and insider Wilson Dittman relayed his information. Dittman also leveraged his opinions on Nwaneri and the key facet that made it conspicuous that he’s joining Nebraska. “I talked about him the other day. [I] said Nebraska is a player. Nebraska is likely going to land him. Things are moving very, very quickly here”, he said. Dittman proceeded to elaborate on why the Huskers were perhaps the only school in the reckoning.

“When you enter the transfer portal as a player, you have the option to have two tags on your name. Either you want coaches to contact you and say, ‘Please contact’. Or, [you say] ‘Do not contact.’ Now, 99% of players say ‘Contact me. Obviously, I want to hear from coaches around the country. I want to hear from programs’. Williams Nwaneri put ‘Do not contact’…He does not want coaches to contact him. He does not want his phone number out there. That means he knows where he’s going. He knows where he’s going to commit to, and that’s likely going to be Nebraska,” said Wilson Dittman. The signs bode well for Matt Rhule as he bolsters his pass rush.

Nwaneri played only 4 games at Mizzou and was redshirted as a freshman. A talent of his ilk doesn’t come by often and with a path as clear as this. This is a vote of confidence of sorts over what Matt Rhule is building. However, the last few days parallel to the portal opening have not been as linear for Nebraska as this open run at Williams Nwaneri would suggest. A huge bombshell, which has seemingly been subdued, dropped over Lincoln this week.

Murmurs of Dylan Raiola entering the transfer portal rock the program

Perhaps the biggest development pertaining to the transfer portal came at the Huskers’ expense. At the onset of this week, reports broke out that QB1 Dylan Raiola was weighing up entering the portal. Naturally, it caused pandemonium across the CFB realm. Raiola has since made an effort to thwart these reports. He took to IG to post he’s “All in”. However, there is no smoke without fire. 

The reporting around the portal has been largely accurate. With this program-altering cloud looming over Lincoln, Matt Rhule had to step in and quell some concern. “I know [Raiola] put a message out [on IG] last night. So I think there’s always going to be rumors. I don’t deal in rumors. I deal in fact. So you know, he’s here, he’s with us. He’s been all in for us. He’s a good enough player that every school in the country should probably come [and] try to recruit [him]. That’s the world we live in now.” he said.

Nebraska are steadily trudging towards getting back to the lofty heights of the past. But they’ll need all hands on deck. Williams Nwaneri stands to be the highest-rated prospect in this storied program. They’ll hope to keep hold of their pre-existing star QB and build on it. Dylan Raiola and the Huskers will next be in action in the Pinstripe Bowl at a venue befitting the snapping their 7-year wait- Yankee Stadium.