Dylan Raiola, Husker Football's Prince That Was Promised

The above passage from acclaimed author George R.R. Martin's Game of Thrones-adjacent series of high-fantasy novels, A Song of Ice and Fire, foretells the ancient prophecy of a hero coming to save the world.

This particular prophecy takes on many interpretations throughout the series. Some characters take the statement literally, anticipating a pre-ordained prince. Others interpret it differently, believing it refers to a dragon princess and not a prince at all. While there might not be a definitive "prince that is promised" for much of the series, the same cannot be said for the Nebraska football program.

It's been almost 30 years since the Cornhuskers sat atop the college football iron throne. And for much of the last decade, smoke and stone have clouded both the external perception and internal belief around the program. Until now.

After failed reigns at the hands of Mike Riley and Scott Frost, second-year head coach Matt Rhule ushers in a new era of optimism and promise in Lincoln. In Year 1, Rhule injected practicality into a program in desperate need.

This offseason Rhule exceeded even the best-laid plans, prying Dylan Railoa, the top-ranked high school quarterback in the country, away from mighty Georgia and bringing him to Lincoln.

In pre-ordained fashion, the prodigy now follows in his father’s footsteps, 1990s-era Husker legend Dominic Raiola, and will be led by a staff that features his uncle, offensive line coach Donovan Raiola. A Husker royal family, if you will.

Raiola has yet to play a meaningful snap. And yet he's already adorned with a myth-like ethos-laced armor, the kind usually reserved for players with names already etched in stone. In a school and town with a defining lineage of quarterback heritage, he appears destined to join that list.

In mere weeks, the Huskers will kick off the 2024 season, riding a wave of excitement and promise. The good things from last season still linger. A hard-nosed defense. Speed on the perimeter. An actual adult head coach. And while Railoa's trajectory is far from the sole factor in the Husker's success this season, his ceiling-raising potential, and his ability to harness it, will determine the heights this team can reach.

In Season 1 of Game of Thrones, golden lion Tywin Lannister, dubbed "the richest man in the Seven Kingdoms", sharply schools his son Tyrion Lannister on the misconceptions of war.

"Gold wins wars," he says. "Not soldiers."

In college football terms, gold equals elite recruiting. Elite recruiting isn't the sole factor in winning, but as Bud Elliott's Blue-Chip Ratio proves, it means everything if a school hopes to compete for a national title.

Nebraska football is not, and likely will not, ever reach Lannister-like wealth status, but Rhule's emphasis and success on the recruiting trail is hard to deny.

According to On3, Nebraska's 2023 recruiting class ranked 29th nationally and 5th in the Big 10. This class included notable names like wide receivers Jaylen Lloyd and Malachi Coleman, as well as transfer offensive lineman Ben Scott.

Nebraska's 2024 recruiting class was even better. Headlined by Raiola, this class also includes the likes of 5-start tight end Carter Nelson, defensive back Caleb Benning and wide receiver Isaiah McMorris, among others.

In comparison, former head coach Scott Frost's final recruiting class in 2022 ranked just 39th nationally and 9th in the Big 10. Hindsight is always 20/20, but that class also included notable busts like wide receiver Decoldest Crawford and quarterback Chubba Purdy. Every class has misses, but the ones in that group felt pronounced.

Recruiting class rankings aside, Rhule has also done what Frost never did, in making the layup that is in-state recruiting in the state of Nebraska. Husker football has a stronghold on the people of this state, and it's almost unfathomable that a coach at Nebraska could struggle to identify and retain homegrown talent. And yet Frost did just that.

Rhule's emphasis on local recruiting proves this isn't his first rodeo–and that he listened to the things fans disliked about the Frost regime. Even if you don't think Nebraska high school football is swimming in four-and-five-star talent, it's a major own goal not getting the serviceable guys in your backyard. Good on Rhule for course correcting.

Being a successful college football coach is a lot like driving a car. There are a million factors at play, and it's never up to you and you alone whether you arrive at your destination safely. But if you control the controllables and don't do stupid stuff, you increase your odds of a good outcome.

Recruit your own backyard. Talk about how much tradition and school pride mean to you. Treat the media with dignity. Do not get caught with your pants down, literally or figuratively. Simple stuff. After just one season, Rhule has seemingly learned to drive the big red car and avoid most of the potholes Frost could not.

Call it voodoo, call it black magic, call it a curse. Something truly special (and depressing, depending on who you asked) has happened to Nebraska football in close games in recent years. I used to joke that if a dog ran on the field late in the fourth quarter and intercepted a pass or if an ice cream truck fell from the sky to land on Adrian Martinez during a game-winning drive I'd believe it. And, well, yeah, I still kind of believe it.

Truth be told, there is no exact science to closing out games. If there was, some Ivy League nerd would've figured it out and he'd be working for a Jeff Bezos-owned Washington Commanders team. Instead, football coaches are left to their own devices. Motivation. Determination. Clock management. Prayers on the sidelines. Anything, and everything, it takes to sway the football gods.

Whatever Nebraska football has done in recent memory to ask the football gods for forgiveness has not worked. Perhaps that will change soon, but I'm not sure anyone can say for certain.

The late-game self-harm subplot is one of the most interesting parts of the 2024 Nebraska season for me. Rhule has done a lot of things right through his first year and a half in Lincoln but in Year 1, Nebraska still could not close out games.

Traditional wisdom suggests that what comes up must come down and that Nebraska's painful fourth-quarter form will course correct. And I think there is some legitimacy to that line of thinking. But I don't think anyone can say for certain that will happen, because, well, *points at everything*.

Captain Obvious speaking, but if Nebraska, by hook or by crook or by Valentino's Pizza, can find a way to win a few of these close games, the wins will shift and the program can build some momentum. Speaking of momentum, has anyone seen this 2024 Nebraska football schedule?

The Huskers could not have asked for a more favorable start to the season. Four of the first five games are at home, with the lone road test coming at Big 10 bottom-feeder favorites Purdue. Four of the last five matchups include games at Ohio State, at USC, home to Wisconsin and at Iowa, all of which should be challenging. But with such a cushy start, it's tough to blame Husker fans for drinking the Kool-Aid.

My official, on-the-record prediction is that Nebraska finishes 7-5. I suspect that Colorado or Rutgers will steal an early-season game. It's hard to fathom that Nebraska won't swing a few close games in 2024, but few times does a team go from losing all close games to winning all close games in a calendar year.

Few things are certain in college football. That's especially true with Nebraska football. Things appear to be on the upswing, but I have a handful of questions to keep an eye on before a ball is kicked.

How quickly does Dylan Raiola hit the ground running?

If Railoa can get going early, or even look somewhat comfortable as QB1, that will go a long way in helping Nebraska do the early work and reach their end-of-season goals. The Huskers don’t have much room to mess around with this easy early schedule. If they take care of business in August and September, that’ll give the fanbase plenty of time to dream of something grander in November and December.

Can the offensive line stay healthy and do an adequate job of protecting Railoa?

Bad news, Husker fans. The offensive line has already taken a big hit with news of the season-ending injury to promising LT Teddy Prochazka. Even if Prochazaka wasn’t the nailed-on starter, he was inarguably pegged to be a contributor, and it’s not good to lose depth as soon as camp starts.

Offensive line unit injuries usually require a reshuffling of the deck, meaning guys are then thrust into more uncomfortable positions. Let’s keep an eye on this subplot as the season kicks on. While it might be fair to say last year’s offensive line made some progress, it was hard to be much worse than years prior. Railoa and this promising offense need protection to reach lofty heights in 2024.

How much can OC Marcus Satterfield improve in Year 2?

I got the feeling that South Carolina fans were happy to see Marcus Satterfield go after the 2022 season. That would’ve set off some alarm bells if I was a Husker fan.

Consider me a Marcus Satterfield hater. I wasn’t a fan of his work at South Carolina and I did not particularly like what I saw from him in Year 1 in Lincoln. Was the QB situation a disaster? Yes. Were the turnovers so debilitating that it might not have mattered what plays were called most of the time? Also yes. Even so, offensive coordinators need to have a good feel for the flow of games, and how to mitigate disaster. I don’t think Satterfield did a good job of that last season.

Good players make average coaches look better, and perhaps this will be the case with Raiola and Satterfield. But keep an eye on this space. If things don’t click early and often, Rhule will undoubtedly have to look elsewhere next year to keep his quarterback happy and the offense rolling.

How good can this defense be in Year 2 under Tony White?

The 2023 Nebraska football season featured many self-sabotage shotgunning moments on offense, but things were legitimately good on defense.

The Blackshirts took to DC Tony White’s 3-3-5 scheme like a duck to water and finished ranked 14th nationally in yardage allowed per game, surrendering only 4.62 yards per play – the Huskers’ best figure since 2010. The defense kept this team in a lot of football games, and it’s a true coup that Rhule was able to hold onto White for another year.

So what can we all expect in 2024?

The defense returns some real difference-makers in DT Nash Hutmacher, Jimari DL Butler and CB Tommi Hill, among others. And with yet another year of familiarity with White’s system, it’s understandable to have very high expectations for this unit.

I suspect the defense will be quite good again, even if the unit doesn’t quite hit the heights it did last year. And you know what, that’s quite alright. This team got a nothing burger most of the time from the offense last year. Balance out the seesaw a bit between the units and Nebraska should give themselves a chance in a lot of ballgames.

What constitutes a successful season, in the minds of Husker fans?

I’m stirring the pot a bit with this question, but I’m legitimately curious to see what is deemed acceptable or a “good season” in the eyes of the Husker fanbase.

Railoa throws a wrench in the expectations equation. In the most important position in football, getting your hands on the most prized recruit in his class alters expectations. Without Railoa, I suspect Husker Nation would’ve been happy with six wins and a bowl game.

Now? I don’t think that’s the case.

You’ll get different answers depending on who you ask. Some, let’s call them “impassioned” Husker fans, have their sights set on Indianapolis and an outside shot at a Big 10 title berth. Others, let’s call them more “realistic” fans, would probably be OK with steady improvement and a bowl game appearance.

I suspect the easy schedule start to the season will have a huge impact on expectations. If the Huskers get rolling and start 5-1 or 6-0, rationality goes out the window. I’ll be fighting off buddies in my group chat about going to Indianapolis. If Colorado, Illinois, or dare I say, Rutgers, steals a game, then it’ll likely temper expectations.

I can’t wait to see this play out. We have a rare chance to see the Bo Pelini scenario come back to life, not aimed at Rhule, but at this program as a whole. Good will no longer be good enough. If the Huskers only win six or seven games, I suspect fans will feel let down. And I will be laughing.

On Saturday, August 31, a crowd will gather for as far as the eye can see in hopes of catching a glimpse of the new Husker royalty.

“Go Big Red!” chants will echo throughout the Haymarket. The smell of Valentino’s Pizza and Runzas will fill the air. And 85,000 hopeful Huskers fans will squeeze into Memorial Stadium, excited to be a small part of the coronation.

The funny thing about beginnings is that they are just that, the beginning. The 2024 Nebraska Cornhuskers’ season will likely not be defined by what happens on August 31 against UTEP. Neither will Raiola’s legacy, if all goes to plan. That will happen in due time.

Minutes before kickoff, Nebraska fans will rise to their feet. Bannermen will raise their flags. Onlookers will throw the bones. The crowd will cheer in unison as the Huskers storm out of the tunnel to the tune of Sirius, signifying a new era of Husker football.

August 31, 2024, will go down as an important day in Husker football history. After years of pain and promise, amidst a backdrop of salt and stone, Nebraska football will finally have the prince that was promised.