“He’s Mad”: Matt Rhule Reveals Dylan Raiola’s Locker Room Habits After Putting Nebraska on High Alert

A player’s nature isn’t defined by the minutes on a clock or the yards in a box score. For Nebraska freshman quarterback Dylan Raiola, it’s just as much about what happens in the locker room. At just 18, Raiola has earned the respect of a veteran-heavy roster with his steady leadership. Rhule has never doubted Raiola’s talent, yet his maturity and command in the locker room have drawn the coach’s strongest praise.

“It’s just some guys are playing checkers, and I think Dylan’s playing chess,” Rhule started on ‘House Rhules‘. Rhule continued. “But what I love about Dylan is… he holds himself so accountable,” he added. A quarterback shoulders the burden of the offense.  One wrong move, one miscalculated play, and the critics are on you, tearing at your play. But what makes Dylan Raiola earn the locker room approval is his ability to own his mistakes.

The head coach went on. “He doesn’t want to be a, oh, I got fooled guy. He’s mad, man.” His accountability factor is what keeps the roster’s faith in him intact. Last season, in the matchup against Illinois, he threw for 297 yards, but a costly interception led to a 24-31 loss. The defeat left a bitter aftertaste, and Raiola took full responsibility for that. “I’ll take this game on my back,” he stated. Rhule further moved on. “He’s mad when he gets fooled. And so I think that that is what’s allowing us to recruit so well at the quarterback position, cuz guys don’t want to come in and just run some silly spread offense only.”

Over the last two games, he has thrown six touchdowns and thrown the ball to 15 different receivers without any interceptions. “Whoever’s open gets the ball,” explains Rhule of Dylan’s distribution of passes across the roster, on the Pat McAfee Show. The head coach is convinced that Raiola is “playing QB at a very high level.” Raiola’s command of the turf is bleeding to Nebraska’s recruiting efforts as well, leaving the new faces in awe. Freshman WR Nyziah Hunter called Dylan an NFL quarterback.

“That’s a reason I came here to play is to play with Dylan,” he said. Rhule added. “I don’t mean that disrespectfully. I mean, like, they want to they want to get under center and throw play action. They want to check plays. They want to make run checks. They want to do what they’re going to do at the next level. And Dylan’s just illustrating that at a high level.” Transfer receiver Dane Key is confident of Dylan’s on-turf prowess, calling him one of the smartest quarterbacks that he has played with.

And that’s what defines a true leader, not just the three hours spent on the field, where he also excels, but the relationships built and trust earned long after the final whistle. Presently, after two matchups into the 2025 season, BaBY Mahomes ranks No. 5th nationally, boasting a completion percentage of 78.1%.

Dylan Raiola’s locker room is on high alert

The Cornhuskers are 2-0, heading into their next matchup against Houston Christian, as the Huskies come to Memorial Stadium in Lincoln this weekend. The last game against Akron was a smooth win, culminating in a 68-0 win. So, naturally, the Huskers faithful are thumping their fists in the air for another such victory against an FCS foe, Houston Christian Huskies. But Rhule thinks differently.

During a press conference, Matt Rhule emphasized that their goal is to get better. “Improving to play Houston Christian, and improving to improve our football team.” Before every game, the roster is expecting a battle, and against the Huskies, it would be no different. One crucial element that might give Nebraska a tough time would be Houston Christian’s defense. “They give you a ton of different looks,” he said of the Huskies’ six different plays with different looks.

“It’s the way we (Nebraska) play defense, so I think that presents a real challenge,” Rhule admitted. Huskies’ offense got Rhule’s acknowledgement as well. “They’re going to run the football, with different runs than we normally see, and the quarterback is a good player,” he added. Albeit, Matt Rhule is optimistic about his roster. Confident in their ability to play robust defense, keep the opponents from reaching the end zone, and limit them to field goals.