What impact will Dylan Raiola have on Nebraska's signing class? (2024)

Check out The Athletic’s live signing day coverage: Signing day live tracker

LINCOLN, Neb. — It’s signing day, the most anticlimactic mega-event on the college football calendar. Minus a few flips and anticipated announcements that offer prospects a final moment in the spotlight, decisions have been made. The work is done.

At Nebraska, Wednesday brings the unveiling of coach Matt Rhule’s second recruiting class, a group that received a massive shot in the arm this week with the commitment of five-star quarterback Dylan Raiola, who rates as the No. 6 player nationally in the 247Sports Composite.

The Huskers sit 20th nationally in the composite team rankings, with perhaps an addition or two on tap as they reach the finish line.

Here are five important storylines to consider as Rhule and his staff wrap a full year of work that began days after he took the job in Lincoln last November:

The Raiola factor looms large. His decision captured attention nationally Monday when Raiola flipped from Georgia to Nebraska. Committed to the Bulldogs since May, the son of former All-America Nebraska center Dominic Raiola, Dylan chose to return “home,” he said in his announcement, moved by the opportunity to help Rhule rebuild the Huskers as a program-changing player.

A possible choice to start in his true freshman season, Raiola impacts Nebraska in ways that go beyond his live arm and high-level QB instincts. He will be the highest-rated recruit to sign with the Huskers in the past 25 years. His presence should open the eyes of players in the transfer portal and in the 2025 class who would not have otherwise paid notice to Nebraska.

He’s set to arrive next month and shoulder weighty expectations. Nebraska quarterbacks struggled in 2023 as the Huskers offensively failed to match the bar set by an improved defense in a seventh consecutive losing season.

Is it too much to expect that Raiola, committed to Ohio State before he pledged to Georgia, can cast a magic wand in Lincoln after he threw for 2,666 yards with 34 touchdowns and one interception on 63.2 percent passing as a high school senior? Yes. But it won’t stop HuskerNation from asking for it.

Who might still join? Signs point to a signing day twist or two in favor of Nebraska. It’s enjoying the momentum gained by the Raiola decision, which came after a weekend when the quarterback visited alongside linebacker Vincent Shavers, a former Miami commit out of Miami Central, and Oregon pledge Dylan Williams, a linebacker from Long Beach (Calif.) Poly.

Williams is the higher ranked of the two visitors, sitting 179th as a four-star prospect in the 247Sports Composite. The Huskers remain in contention for three-star defensive back Amare Sanders out of Miami. He visited Lincoln in June.

Complicating matters, the available scholarship spots for Nebraska to award are minimal — to recruits in this class or to players in the portal. Nebraska has yet to add a transfer in this cycle. Last week, it hosted defensive back Blye Hill of FCS program St. Francis (Pa.) and has worked to get a January visit from running back Dante Dowdell, in the portal from Oregon.

Typically, Nebraska categorizes its signees as scholarship players and walk-ons. That task appears complex this year, with some of the math around roster management likely not yet determined.

In-state success continues. The top six high school prospects from Nebraska high schools plan to sign with the Huskers. Rhule got commitments from nine overall in Nebraska, not including several walk-ons. A year ago, the Huskers signed eight from in-state but missed on two of the top three.

Rhule has prioritized local talent, arguably more important for a program like Nebraska than for schools located in areas dense with elite prospects. If the Huskers can’t start at home, what is their foundation built on? Players from Nebraska high schools succeed and stay with the Huskers at a higher rate than prospects from faraway destinations.

To magnify matters in state, Nebraska beat Notre Dame and Georgia for four-star tight end Carter Nelson of Ainsworth, Neb. Nelson played eight-man football in high school but attracted national recruiting attention. The Huskers sent Rhule and eight assistant coaches to see Nelson play basketball Saturday night. And the Nebraska staff crashed a wedding in Ainsworth while in town.

With special teams coordinator Ed Foley running point, the coaches have embraced much about the state of Nebraska. It paid off in a big way this year.

Rhule’s June push set the tone. Credit the coach for changing directions after a March barrage of visitors didn’t produce the desired commitments. Raiola served as the catalyst early in the recruiting cycle. He visited during spring practice with several four- and four-five prospects.

But in late May, the Huskers had collected just six commitments. That’s when Daniel Kaelin flipped from Missouri to Nebraska after Raiola committed to Georgia. Kaelin’s decision spurred energy and led to a hot stretch in June in which the Huskers landed pledges from 13 players set to sign Wednesday. The group included Kaelin’s Bellevue (Neb.) West teammates, wide receivers Isaiah McMorris and Dae’vonn Hall.

Kaelin’s relationships with Nelson and four-star offensive lineman Grant Brix of Logan, Iowa, who committed in November, factored in their recruiting experiences. Last week as Raiola resurfaced for the Huskers, Kaelin considered his opportunities before reaffirming the pledge to Nebraska.

Where is Nebraska getting better? At quarterback, unquestionably. The Huskers have received commitments from four tight ends, six offensive linemen and six defensive backs.

The offensive line rates as maybe the greatest area of need. As many as 14 scholarship linemen could return in 2024, but the most experienced players, Bryce Benhart and Ben Scott, are entering their final season. The next most experienced tandem, Turner Corcoran and Ethan Piper, suffered season-ending injuries this year.

After that group, Nebraska is inexperienced. Depth at tackle is a concern. Brix and others fill a need for Nebraska to ensure that Raiola — or whoever is playing QB after next season — receives adequate protection.

(Top photo of Matt Rhule: Adam Ruff / Icon Sportswire via Getty Images)

Mitch Sherman is a staff writer for The Athletic covering Nebraska football. He previously covered college sports for ESPN.com after working 13 years for the Omaha World-Herald. Mitch is an Omaha native and lifelong Nebraskan. Follow Mitch on Twitter @mitchsherman