Rhule walks through how Dylan Raiola earned starting quarterback spot

LINCOLN, Neb. (WOWT) - Walking off the field after practice on Wednesday-- after Nebraska football social media had already announced it-- was when head coach Matt Rhule told freshman quarterback Dylan Raiola he would be getting the start in the Huskers’ season opener against UTEP. The 19-year-old’s pocket presence and his ability to put all the pieces in play when under center ended up separating Raiola in the quarterback battle.

“I think Dylan has elite arm strength. He understands all the run game checks. He understands the entire RPO game. He understands situational football. And I really think he’s cleaned up his footwork in the pocket which was one of the big things,” said Rhule.

Backing up Raiola will be junior Heinrich Haarberg. Rhule hinted at potential opportunities for Haarberg to see the field in different positions, however, the second-year head coach didn’t want to give away too much.

“Heinrich, to me, could be a great safety. He could probably be a great linebacker. He’d be a great tailback, wideout, tight end. And so we have the opportunity to use him when needed,” said Rhule. “At the same time, I don’t want to lose my number two quarterback because he ran a dive. So there’s a fine line there. But we’re not going to play this year out of fear. We’re not going to play like ‘what if this goes wrong.’”

When Raiola takes the first snap against the Miners on August 31st, the Husker legacy will become only the second true freshman quarterback in program history to start in a season opener. The last time this happened was in 2018 when Adrian Martinez was the starting quarterback against Colorado in the first game of the year.