Nebraska head coach Matt Rhule recently set the record straight after comments he made about Dylan Raiola’s weight took on a life of their own.
What started as a brief remark about an ideal playing weight turned into widespread speculation that the sophomore quarterback was out of shape—and Rhule isn’t happy about it.
“I felt really bad,” Rhule said. “I thought it was poor on some people’s part. If you went back and listened to what I said, I said ‘He knows he can’t be 240.’ I didn’t say he was 240.”
Still, the narrative took off, and Raiola found himself at the center of yet another conversation that had nothing to do with his actual play. Many fans spent much of last season saying that Raiola was attempting to be a “Patrick Mahomes lookalike.” For the quarterback, it’s been frustrating.
“If I’m being honest, it sucks,” Raiola said. “It’s a constant grind every day. Sometimes you don’t see change right away… it doesn’t happen in a day, or even two or three weeks.”
Raiola said he dropped close to 10 pounds thus far and returned feeling the best he’s ever felt physically.
“It’s perfect timing, ready for spring ball,” he added.
He credited Nebraska’s strength and nutrition staff—and his father, former NFL lineman Dominic Raiola—for helping him stay focused. Part of his transformation included mixing in boxing workouts to improve footwork, agility, and cardio.
“I think they correlate great together,” Raiola said. “So, I’m cool talking about it. I’m happy where I’m at right now.”
Raiola entered the Nebraska football program with massive expectations and helped lead Nebraska to a bowl game as a freshman. He finished the 2024 season with 2,819 passing yards and 13 touchdowns to 11 interceptions. Now, it will be up to him to take the next step.
It will be interesting to see what Raiola looks like when Nebraska takes the field this fall. He has talent, but his development honestly will be what determines how far the Cornhuskers can go next season.
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