“Nebraska has a team that could be really good": Fox Sports' Joel Klatt judges Cornhuskers to exceed expectations with Matt Rhule at the helm

The Nebraska Cornhuskers had a mixed season under new coach Matt Rhule last season. The former NFL coach led Nebraska to a 5-7 record, but there was a silver lining as most of the defeats were by one possession. So, the Cornhuskers could do better in 2024.

College football analyst Joel Klatt shares the sentiment.

"Nebraska has a team that I think could be really good," Klatt said on "The Joel Klatt Show" on May 23. "They were 5-7 a year ago. And you look at those seven losses, and I’m telling you, like, it was all quarterback turnovers, almost all of it. They were very competitive, in fact, way more competitive in Matt Rhule’s first season than their 5-7 record indicates."

The quarterback situation in Nebraska last season struggled and never had clear direction. The Cornhuskers played three different quarterbacks, and all struggled.

The trio of Henrich Haalberg, Jeff Sims and Chubba Purdy (the younger brother of San Francisco 49ers quarterback Brock Purdy) threw for a combined 1,631 yards and 10 touchdowns. They were also sacked 30 times and threw 16 interceptions.

So, a quarterback change could make Nebraska a better team. Luckily for the Cornhuskers, they reeled in one of the nation's top prospects.

Quarterback Dylan Raiola could be the Nebraska Cornhuskers' savior. Raiola initially committed to the Georgia Bulldogs but switched to Nebraska in December.

Raiola, who enrolled in January, should give the Cornhuskers the solid quarterback they need to improve. He's likely to play during his freshman season, with the hopes of making an early impact.

Can Matt Rhule save Nebraska like he did Baylor?

Joel Klatt compared the situation Matt Rhule has found himself in with Nebraska to his tenure at Temple and Baylor.

Rhule rebuilt those struggling programs from scratch, and he should be able to repeat what he did with those programs. However, Nebraska is not like Baylor or Temple. According to Rhule, the Cornhuskers are in a far better position than the previous teams when he took over.

"Year One here was like Year Two at Temple or Baylor," Rhule said. "It’s funny. I always felt like we did our best job coaching at Temple and Baylor in Year One. ... Here, the program didn’t need to be saved. (Former Nebraska coach) Scott Frost had done a good job; he brought in talent, there were good players here, good people.

"What we have to do is ... stop being the team that loses the close games.”

The Nebraska Cornhuskers are on the rise, and the addition of top prospect Dylan Raiola should only help Matt Rhule's team improve and potentially make a bowl game in 2024.