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The Nebraska football team handed play calling duties over from offensive coordinator Marcus Satterfield to veteran coach Dana Holgorsen midway through the 2024 season. One program insider believes it was a move that had to be made in order to keep Dylan Raiola in Lincoln.
Robin Washut of HuskersOnline said that the five-star signal caller likely would’ve left the team had a change not occurred. Tampering from outside college football rivals apparently played a part!
The Cornhuskers landed Raiola’s pledge following a roller coaster recruitment that saw him commit to three different schools. First was Ohio State, then Georgia, and finally Nebraska, where his father played football.
Upon arriving to campus, he was handed the keys to the offense. Thus far, he’s shown flashes of his five-star talent, though like all freshmen, there have been learning curves.
Raiola’s thrown for 1,921 yards and 10 touchdowns this season while leading the team to a marquee win over Colorado. His production, however, has fallen off following a hot start to the year.
Over his last four games, he’s averaging 174.5 passing yards per game while tossing six interceptions to just one score. He may not be completely to blame for the struggles, though. His offensive coordinator wasn’t putting him in the best positions to succeed!
Marcus Satterfield arrived at Nebraska following two seasons as OC for the South Carolina football program. His offenses with the Gamecocks were inconsistent, too, even with future NFL passer Spencer Rattler under center.
Shane Beamer parted ways with Satterfield after the 2022 campaign, which led him to Lincoln. As offensive coordinator for the Cornhuskers, he’s done himself no favors. Explanations for pedestrian play were often lacking while he seemed oblivious to even the most basic of metrics.
With the offense failing to put Dylan Raiola in positions to win, rival programs smelled blood in the water. The QB has apparently been tampered with as suitors try to convince him to hop in the transfer portal. He’s not done so yet, and Nebraska’s swift action at the OC position might be to thank!
“If Matt Rhule didn’t make a move, the odds of Dylan Raiola not being here next season go up dramatically… they had to do something.”@RobinWashut tells @ESPN_Schick and @BigAntHerron about the Huskers hiring Dana Holgorsen and how it could help keep their star QB at Nebraska. pic.twitter.com/Vk7GDKGePw
— College Sports on SiriusXM (@SXMCollege) November 13, 2024
Dana Holgorsen was added to the staff in early November. After just six days on campus, he replaced Satterfield as play caller. He has a history of producing high-flying offenses as well as developing successful quarterbacks at the college level. Dylan Raiola will be his next project.
Head coach Matt Rhule commented on his quarterback’s outlook with a new offensive leader in house. While it’s a big move to be made midseason, he insists that Raiola has a positive mindset.
“Dylan trusts me and trusts the program… All the guys had a really positive reaction to it… Dana and the staff will give the players the best opportunity to go make plays.”
-Matt Rhule
Nebraska takes on USC this Saturday as it looks to improve to 6-4 this football season. Raiola’s status is up in the air as he recovers from an injury, but he’s doing his best to get back on the field.