Dylan Raiola departure will sink Nebraska, per rival coach

Nebraska football has been a middle-of-the-pack program in the Big Ten so far in the Matt Rhule era. While Nebraska will be looking to improve in 2026, it will have a new quarterback as Dylan Raiola hit the transfer portal and left the program.

As the new season approaches, one Big Ten coach thinks the loss of Raiola will be too much to handle, according to Athlon Sports.

“They’re in a ton of denial with the quarterback situation. Dylan Raiola is as good as they get as a player and as a person; losing him, I thought he was their last hope. He was the pin that was holding that thing together,” an anonymous Big Ten coach told Athlon.

Raiola was solid in his sophomore campaign before missing the end of the season due to an injury. He passed for 2,000 yards with 18 touchdowns and just six interceptions. Nebraska is returning a lot, sitting third in the nation in returning production, according to Bill Connelly of ESPN. Still, bringing back a lot does not matter if quality does not return.

“I don’t imagine they’re gonna do anything special. I think five wins, maybe six wins at the most (this) year. If they hit seven, I’d be shocked,” another coach told Athlon.

Meanwhile, the consensus seems to be that this is a 6-win team. Currently, the win total for Nebraska is set at 6.5 wins, with the under being favored, according to odds provided by DraftKings.

While some coaches focused on the poor roster, one focused on the lack of consistency in the coaching staff.

“(Head coach) Matt Rhule has some great aspects. He can make you run through a wall, but there’s just always so much turnover with his staff. I know that it’s a tough environment for those coaches to be in. Rhule makes it like that on purpose because he doesn’t want you to get comfortable. I don’t want to say his model isn’t going to work, but I don’t know,” noted a Big Ten coach.

John Butler was let go as the defensive coordinator, while Donovan Raiola was let go from his offensive line position, and Terry Bradden was let go on the defensive line. Now, Rhule hopes to prove others wrong, but it will be an uphill battle in 2026.

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