Tag: Donovan Raiola

Postgame encounter between Wisconsin head football coach, Nebraska assistant goes viral

Postgame encounter between Wisconsin coach Luke Fickell, Nebraska assistant Donovan Raiola goes viral

The book isn’t entirely shut on Wisconsin’s loss to Nebraska.

In the aftermath of the game and the subsequent postgame reaction, a video went viral showing an exchange between Badgers coach Luke Fickell and Nebraska offensive line coach Donovan Raiola as Fickell was leaving the field.

Related: Braelon Allen, former Wisconsin players react to Badgers historic loss to Nebraska

Fickell is seen walking off with a Wisconsin assistant coach and several police officers — as Nebraska fans stormed the field to celebrate the program’s first bowl appearance since 2016 and first win over Wisconsin in 12 years.

Wisconsin’s coach said something to Raiola, who was walking in the opposite direction. Raiola flashed a thumbs-up and appears to respond before a police officer accompanying Fickell quickly runs over to confront the Nebraska assistant.

That is the extent of the interaction between the two. The video quickly went viral on X, amassing more than 2.7 million views:

For further context, Raiola was a decorated offensive lineman for the Wisconsin Badgers during the early 2000s. He has been on the Nebraska coaching staff since 2022, including the last two years under new coach Matt Rhule. On an unrelated note, he’s the uncle of Cornhuskers star freshman quarterback Dylan Raiola.

No information has been released on what was said between the two or what prompted the reaction from the police officer accompanying Fickell. Nebraska coach Matt Rhule called the interaction “no big deal” when meeting with the media on Monday.

Now, Wisconsin’s singular focus is on its season-ending Week 14 matchup against Minnesota. Fickell and the Badgers need a victory to avoid failing to be bowl eligible for the first time since 2001.

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Dylan Raiola named to Polynesian College Football Player of the Year Award Watchlist

Freshman quarterback Dylan Raiola was named to the Polynesian College Football Player of the Year Award Watchlist.

Another player for Nebraska football earned a spot on an award watchlist for the 2024 season. Freshman quarterback Dylan Raiola was named to the Polynesian College Football Player of the Year Award Watchlist.

The award is presented annually to the most outstanding college football player of Polynesian ancestry, who epitomizes great ability and integrity. The Watch List comprises 96 players from 37 different FBS schools, and candidates are selected based on past performance and future potential.

Raiola enters his freshman season at Nebraska as one of the nation’s top high school quarterbacks in the class of 2024. In his high school career, he threw for nearly 8,500 yards, 88 touchdowns, and just 11 interceptions.

Raiola threw for 2,666 yards and 34 touchdowns his senior year, helping Buford (Ga.) High School to an 11-2 record. Dylan is the son of Dominic Raiola, who was a center at Nebraska from 1997 to 2000. Dominic was a first-team All-American and the Rimington Trophy winner as the nation’s top center.

The Polynesian Football Hall of Fame Selection Committee will choose the finalists and the winner. The five finalists for the award will be unveiled on December 3, and the winner will be announced on December 17.

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Nebraska flips five-star quarterback Dylan Raiola from Georgia

The Cornhuskers have landed their highest rated commitment ever

The long-awaited decision from five-star quarterback Dylan Raiola has been made. On Monday, the five-star quarterback announced that he had flipped his commitment from the Georgia Bulldogs to the Nebraska Cornhuskers, ending speculation that the legacy recruit would flip his commitment.

According to 247Sports, Raiola becomes Nebraska’s all-time highest-rated commitment, moving ahead of names such as Marlon Lucky, Chris Septak, Aaron Green, Baker Steinkuhler, and Ndamong Suh.

Raiola is the nephew of current Nebraska offensive line coach Donovan Raiola. He is ranked five-star by three of the four major recruiting services in 247Sports, ESPN, and Rivals.

Both 247Sports and Rivals have him ranked as the nation’s top quarterback and the second-best prospect in the country, while ESPN ranks him as the country’s eighth-best prospect overall and top signal caller.

The 6-foot-2.5, 230-pound quarterback was also previously committed to Ohio State during his recruitment before flipping to Georgia earlier this year. It became clear last week that Matt Rhule and the Huskers would have a significant chance of pulling off the flip with the early signing period looming.

With just two days till the early signing period, Nebraska now holds 25 commitments in their 2024 recruiting class, which ranks among the top 25 signing classes across the recruiting industry. Outside Raiola, the Huskers’ top committed prospects are Nebraska tight end Carter Nelson and Iowa offensive lineman Grant Brix. Both are considered among the top 100 prospects in the country.

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Husker lineman Nouredin Nouili to miss 2022 season after failed drug test

A big blow to the Husker offensive line!!

Nebraska offensive lineman Nouredin Nouili has announced that he will miss the entire 2022 college football season due to a failed drug test. He made the announcement on social media on Saturday.

“I would like to apologize to my family, teammates, coaches, and Husker fans for my error in judgment. It is an honor to be a part of this football program and represent this university, and I do not take that responsibility likely. Thanks to Coach [Scott] Frost, our athletic and university administration, for allowing me to continue to be part of this program in 2022.”

The Frankfurt, Germany native started his career at Colorado State and started seven games at guard during the 2019 season before transferring to Nebraska. He played in every game of the 2021 season and started the final seven games as a left guard. In a statement to the media, Head Coach Scott Frost expressed his support for Nouili.

“We will fully support Nouredin Nouili as (he) continues his academic and athletic career at the University of Nebraska. He is an outstanding young man who made a mistake that will force him to miss the 2022 season and forfeit a year of eligibility. Noure will be a full participant in practice this fall, and we look forward to him resuming his playing career in 2023.”

This announcement is a blow for the Husker offensive line heading into 2022, as Nouili was considered a lock to start at left guard for offensive line coach Donovan Raiola. The tackles spots look like they will be filled by Teddy Prochazka and Turner Corcoran, who both had injuries and missed the spring. However, the Huskers have options with Broc Bando, Bryce Benhard, or even the possibility of moving center Trent Hixson over to try and fill that spot on the line. Donovan Raiola now has his first significant line issue of the season, and I am intrigued to see how he responds.

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Frost talks about new hires on offense

The Husker Head Coach talks about his new staff members on offense.

Nebraska Head Football Coach Scott Frost appeared on Monday night on the Husker Radio Network. The interview discussed a wide range of topics, but one segment, in particular, was illuminating. Frost talked about the four new hires on the offensive side of the ball. That would include Offensive Coordinator Mark Whipple, Wide Receivers Coach Mickey Joseph, Offensive Line Coach Donovan Raiola and Running Backs Coach Bryan Applewhite. It was nice to hear Frost talk in a little more detail about the role each of these hires is playing in rebuilding the offense and culture of the program. We still don’t know what the offense will look like, but we’ll get a better idea when the Huskers open the season on August 27th against the Northwestern Wildcats in Dublin, Ireland.