Dylan Raiola will be the most impactful college football freshman in 2024
It's been a long time since Nebraska football has been relevant on a national scale in college football. The Huskers currently have the longest bowl drought in the FBS and they haven't posted a top-5 finish in the AP poll since after the 2001 season.
People like to call Nebraska football a "sleeping giant." Five-star quarterback signee Dylan Raiola has used that word to describe the Huskers and make no mistake, no player has ever had a greater chance to awaken that giant.
For years, Nebraska has had a bunch of issues. But the biggest was the quarterback position. It's been over a decade since the Huskers have had a First-Team all-conference selection at quarterback.
After a great run of championships and a Heisman winner with Tommie Frazier, Brook Berringer, Scott Frost, and Eric Crouch, the quarterback position has been nothing but disappointing for the Huskers since the days of T-Magic (Taylor Martinez) and Tommy Armstrong. Even those good seasons are few and far between.
The problem was exacerbated in the first season at Nebraska football for Matt Rhule. His quarterbacks accounted for 31 turnovers (most in college football), which led to a 5-7 season. Nebraska has turned the ball over more than any other program during its bowl drought and that's not a coincidence.
Cue Dylan Raiola. The five-star quarterback who is ranked seventh overall and second among quarterbacks according to the 247 Sports rankings, could easily have the biggest impact of any college football freshman.
Julian Sayin and DJ Lagaway could end up starting for Ohio State and Florida respectively, but Dylan Raiola is definitely going to start. He's also going to provide an immediate upgrade for a team that was a quarterback away from being kind of scary last season.
Nebraska should have one of the best defenses in college football next season. They will also have one of college football's most talented quarterbacks. Dylan Raiola was a five-star for a reason and in terms of the 2024 college football, it's hard to see another freshman having a bigger impact.
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Dylan Raiola is going to start from day one for Nebraska and the chances are, he puts up solid numbers and leads them back to a bowl game for the first time since 2016.