As the Nebraska Cornhuskers wrapped up their 2024 season, their co-offensive coordinator and quarterbacks coach Glenn Thomas sat down to work. His one aim? Break down all the goods and the bads of their top signee Dylan Raiola. As a true freshman starter, he had to navigate multiple things– Adjusting to the college game, learning the new playbook, communicating and connecting with the team, and much more. So, looking back, while his first season as a Cornhusker was not exemplary, leading 7-6 while starting all 13 games, he did do okay. But the future? It is only bright!

Thomas concluded, “There were some ups and downs, obviously, which I thought he handled the low points very well. He’s been humbled to learn from them and get better from them.” And learning he is! This time around, he has one year of experience with the team under his belt and with that, comes the confidence to lead the entire squad. So while last year’s veteran-heavy team would’ve made him look for respect as their signal caller, this time, he is all set to guide. That transformation has started to take shape in the shadows, and one Nebraska insider painted a clear picture of the young star evolving fast.

Wilson Dittman said on his namesake show, “When you’re the quarterback at Nebraska, sometimes it’s more important what you’re doing off your work ethic, your chemistry, your leadership. And Dylan’s completely changed the game this year.

“When he got to Nebraska, it was all about him hustling in silence, showing up early, working hard, beating out Heinrich Haarberg in the battle. He wasn’t really focused on building friendships with everybody, he wasn’t really focused on being a leader. He was just focused on gaining respect, and that’s awesome as a true freshman. But that changes going into year two. Going into year two, you gotta be friends with everybody. You gotta be friends with your running backs, you gotta be best friends with your offensive line, you gotta build great connections with the wide receivers… And I’m happy to report that he is absolutely doing that.”

“Dylan’s taking it to a different level. He understands that more than just what you do on the field is what you do off the field. And thta’s why I’m very confident Dylan’s gonna be successful because his work ethics are second to none. He shows to the facility very early, he’s working really hard studying the films, studying the playbook. Off the field, he’s hanging out with guys like Emmett Johnson (running back), he attended the basketball game with Dane Key… It’s very important for him to build these relationships, that’s how he’s gonna be a good quarterback… It was very big for me to see him do that ’cause I’ve seen a lot of quarterbacks in Nebraska not do that.

It’s no longer just about tape study and velocity charts—it’s chemistry, locker room command, and quarterbacking in its purest, intangible form. Even his uncle and the Cornhuskers’ offensive line coach Donovan Raiola mentioned, “He’s still 19, right? He’s still figuring things out. He’s still a kid. But you can feel his presence a little more. Last year we had a veteran-heavy team that he was just trying to gain guys’ respect. I notice him speaking up a little more. The work is still the work – you either do it or you don’t. I think in that way I think his leadership; you can hear his voice a little more.”

So, making connections off the field to have a better understanding on the field checks out. But leadership and likability can only get you so far when the deep ball doesn’t land. For all of Dylan’s raw talent—and there’s plenty—the deep accuracy was alarmingly inconsistent in year one.

“The first thing that, in my opinion, was the most important thing for Dylan was to continue to develop his deep accuracy,” the insider said. The contrast is glaring. Back in high school at Buford, Raiola had one of the prettiest deep balls in the country—tight spirals, perfect arcs, elite placement. But that magic disappeared after an injury early in the Illinois game last fall. Since then, his long throws have looked like a quarterback trying to dial in his rangefinder with one eye shut.

One particular sequence haunts the tape watchers: The Iowa game. “First drive of the game he overshot Jaylen Lloyd on a post route. Jaylen was wide open by about 15 yards, Dylan just missed him. Clean pocket, and he completely overthrew him.”

That should’ve been six. Instead, it became a missed opportunity that changed the tone of the entire game. And it wasn’t just once. That same day, Dylan missed Isaiah Neyor on a go route and underthrew it badly. Rewind the tape further to the Illinois loss—another post, this time to Luke Lindenmeyer, wide open again, and again overthrown. “We lost it,” the insider said. Those throws aren’t just isolated misses—they’re potential wins left on the field.

The good news? Spring practice has offered a different look at QB1. The mechanical issues appear tighter, the rhythm more fluid, and the deep ball—finally—looks like it’s starting to reappear. “In spring practice, man, it’s looked a lot improved,” said the insider– a statement that offers both relief and anticipation for Husker fans.

For Dylan, it’s no longer about living up to the hype. It’s about reclaiming the form that made him a five-star blue-chip and combining that with the emotional maturity of someone who understands what it means to lead a program. While he’s working on his form on the field, the 19-year-old QB is also grinding in the gym for one potential negative that has recently emerged for him.

Dylan Raiola kept it real and the grind is paying off

Previously, the HC Matt Rhule made it plain and unfiltered: “He won’t be a great quarterback at 240 pounds.” While Rhule has gone around and cleared the air that his words were taken into another angle. “I felt really bad,” Rhule said. “I thought it was poor on some people’s part. If you went back and listened to what I said, I said ‘He knows he can’t be 240.’ I didn’t say he was 240. Some people ran with that and it’s unfortunate. I’m very marked with how I say things, I say things in a specific way. And all I said was he knows he can’t be something.”

However, the 230 lbs-QB took it to heart and has been making progress. He isn’t sugarcoating it—transforming his body hasn’t been a walk in the park. In fact, he’s been brutally honest about just how tough it’s been. “If I’m being honest, it s—-,” Raiola admitted.

“I’m just being honest. It’s a constant grind every day. Sometimes you don’t see change right away. In this instance, a physical body standpoint doesn’t change in a day, it doesn’t change in a week, it doesn’t change in two weeks, not even three. It’s just the consistency of staying on it and keep going.”

“I’m just grateful for our strength staff, our nutrition staff, even my dad. My dad’s been involved heavily as well. It’s been a team effort — grateful. I feel amazing right now. Probably in the best shape I’ve ever been in. I feel great. Went on spring break, came back about nine or 10 lbs lighter. So, that was the emphasis, kind of getting away from the program and just always the soreness and all the lifting we do here, which is great,” Raiola said. “But kind of just to take that step. Like I said, it doesn’t happen in four weeks. That was probably week six or seven. Kind of all of a sudden snapped and here we are. It’s perfect timing, ready for spring ball.”

That kind of transparency from a true freshman who just led the Cornhuskers to a bowl game is refreshing—and speaks to how seriously Raiola takes his development. Now, though? Raiola’s in a much better place—mentally and physically. “I think they correlate great together, the jump ropes and the foot strike and all those things,” he said. “So, I’m cool talking about it. I’m happy where I’m at right now.”

Well, Raiola’s grind might not be his favorite thing to do, but it has surely driven up his result – which is the only thing that matters to any CFB player.