David Pollack anticipates successful sophomore season for Dylan Raiola at Nebraska in 2025

Following a true freshman season that was full of ups and downs at Nebraska, all eyes will be on Dylan Raiola next season. The quarterback earned the starting role during the fall camp of the 2024 season and led the Cornhuskers offense in his first year of college football.

Dylan Raiola received significant praise for his impressive performance as a true freshman, setting a Nebraska record for passing yards by a first-year college player. However, he also faced challenges in the backfield, encountering some difficulties throughout the season.

With a year of experience behind him, David Pollack anticipates Raiola will excel in the upcoming season. Nebraska now boasts an offensive coordinator, Dana Holgorsen, widely regarded as one of the best in the game, a factor that will be instrumental in the young quarterback’s development and success.

“Raiola, obviously, is the big story to me in this offense,” Pollack said on ‘David Pollack College Football' on Sunday. “Like, he's the guy. He's the one that showed you flashes in the beginning of the season.”

“He's got the mannerisms of Mahomes a little bit. He's got the – I know the comparison has to stop, but he's got the mannerisms, the hair a little bit. Obviously, the same coach, the same quarterback coach. So a lot of that carryover. But here's the thing. He's the best Nebraska quarterback in a long time.”

Matt Rhule set offseason goals for Dylan Raiola ahead of the 2025 season

Following Dylan Raiola’s noteworthy true freshman season, Matt Rhule believes it’s time for him to elevate his game. Earlier this month, the Nebraska coach outlined his offseason goals for the Cornhuskers’ quarterback, emphasizing the next steps in his development.

“Before he can make it his team, I think he has to make it his offense. Before he makes it his offense, I think he has to make it his receiving corps,” Rhule said in a press conference last week.

“I went to the Supernova game last night, and he’s over there with Heinrich [Haarberg], and they’re sitting courtside, which is great, as long as you’re in the building this morning, throwing, which I know they were.”

“That’s what I mean by gratitude. Like, ‘I’m grateful to be here, so because I’m grateful, it’s not that I say thank you. It’s that I work my tail off each and every day because I’m trying to get better.'”

Dylan Raiola started all 13 games in his debut season for the Cornhuskers in 2024. He completed 67.1% of his passes for 2,595 yards and 12 touchdowns, though he also threw 10 interceptions.