Sports blog information from USA TODAY.
Here are the complete updated top 25 teams, according to the 247Sports composite rankings.
Here are the complete updated top 25 teams as of March 25, 2024, according to the 247Sports composite rankings.
The teams hold firm as the the recruiting cycle moves toward the spring, with no flips among the programs.
Who will be Nebraska’s starting quarterback in 2024?
Who will be Nebraska’s starting quarterback in 2024? Head coach Matt Rhule was asked that very question while appearing on The Hard Count with J.D. PicKell of the On3 network.
Rhule made it clear that there is no timetable for announcing the starting quarterback.
“I think when we know, we know. It’s one of those deals like, I don’t want to play games with people. If we know, we know. At the same time, I’ve watched enough major college football, and we’ve figured out here it’s gonna take a couple of guys. Most years, you’re not gonna play just one quarterback. So, our job is to push all of those guys to be great. Our job is to give them all opportunities to show what they can do and grow.”
The Cornhuskers currently have three quarterbacks on the roster. Junior Heinrich Haarberg and freshmen Dylan Raiola and Danny Kaelin. The Husker head coach spoke in detail about the need for multiple quarterbacks on your roster to be ready to play at any given moment.
“You go back to our last year at Baylor, and we sat there with Charlie Brewer all year long. All of a sudden, he’s hurt, and we’re in the Big 12 Championship Game. We’ve got our third-string quarterback, who’s played one snap the entire year out there trying to bring us back, which he did. So we’re gonna coach everybody, but in terms of naming a starter, we know when it’s clear we’ll do it.”
Nebraska started three quarterbacks (Jeff Sims, Chubba Purdy, and Heinrich Haarberg) last season. The Cornhuskers’ spring game will take place on April 27 at 11:00 a.m.
Contact/Follow us @CornhuskersWire on X, and like our page on Facebook to follow ongoing coverage of Nebraska news, notes, and opinions.
Kirk Herbstreit discusses his alleged role in Dylan Raiola’s flip to Nebraska.
Dylan Raiola’s flip on the eve of the early signing period made waves in the college football world. It continues to do so, with ESPN analyst Kirk Herbstreit’s “involvement” in the five-star quarterback’s flip from Georgia to Nebraska.
According to Rivals, the quarterback is the second-best player in the nation in the class of 2024.
In a recent interview with Rivals, Dominic Raiola said that Herbstreit, a former Ohio State quarterback who is one of ESPN’s biggest personalities, offered advice to the family in the days leading up to the Nebraska flip.
With his father a former standout at Nebraska and his brother on staff, the decision by Dylan Raiola to leave in-state Georgia for the Big Ten program certainly makes sense. But it is Herbstreit’s involvement that has raised some eyebrows.
There were questions about the appropriateness concerning Herstreit’s involvement in the star quarterback ending up in Nebraska for head coach Matt Rhule’s rebuilding of the program.
In an appearance Thursday on the Paul Finebaum Show, Herbstreit clarified and defended his role.
“When somebody calls and says ‘What do you think of Matt Rhule’ and you like Matt Rhule…are you supposed to say Matt Rhule is a bad guy? Matt Rhule is an idiot? Matt Rhule is a bad coach? Or do you say ‘I like Matt Rhule. I think Matt Rhule is a good coach.’ And the other part of it that he said, I think the family legacy,” Herbstreit told ESPN’s Finebaum.
“I think he mentioned his brother was an assistant coach (Donovan Raiola) there at Nebraska and of course, Dom was a great player there himself, an All-American.
“And I think it sounded like the family, out of their respect for their love for Nebraska, that they were really torn. That’s what he made it sound like.”
Herbstreit said that the story was compelling to him. Before he decided to flip, Dylan Raiola was weighing his current commitment to Georgia, a juggernaut program that has two national championships in recent years.
Kirk Herbstreit gives his take on the phone call he had with Dylan Raiola’s dad before the QB recruit flipped his commitment from Georgia to Nebraska pic.twitter.com/W7fWbSrKHq
— Paul Finebaum (@finebaum) February 8, 2024
But the heart, Herbstreit said, was tugging for Nebraska.
“I felt like being a guy that went to Ohio State and a lot of it had to do with my dad (Jim Herbstreit was a former Ohio State player and assistant coach)…I just said ‘Wow, the fact that your son can go to any school, any powerhouse that is competing for national titles and because of his respect for his own dad, he’s thinking about maybe going to Nebraska?’ A place that hasn’t competed for national titles in 20 years,” Kirk Herstreit said.
“That says about who the kid is. It’s not just about going to the NFL.”
In closing out his defense, the ESPN analyst made it clear that his advice was not geared toward pushing Dylan Raiola in the direction of one program or another.
“I of course did not try and sell Nebraska and try to tell anyone not to go to Georgia. That’s the most ridiculous thing that anybody would do,” Kirk Herbstreit said.
“But I did compliment Matt Rhule – if I’m guilty of anything, I said that Matt Rhule was a good coach and he’s a good man. I do believe he will bring Nebraska back, like he did Temple and Baylor.”
Did one of college football’s top analysts have a role in helping Nebraska secure a five-star recruit?
Did one of college football’s top analysts have a role in helping Nebraska secure a five-star recruit? According to the recruit’s father, that may be the case.
Dominic Raiola, father of quarterback Dylan Raiola, spoke to Adam Gorney, national recruiting director for Rivals, and said that ESPN’s Kirk Heberstreit was someone who reached out and offered advice.
“When this was happening, I will bring up one guy’s name, Kirk Herbstreit. When he saw the smoke about Dylan entertaining Nebraska, he called me and said, ‘dude, is this true? He got to do it.’ His affinity for Nebraska, for a guy like that to tell me and get behind me.”
In December, Raiola flipped his commitment from the Georgia Bulldogs to the Cornhuskers class of 2024. There are strong family connections to the program as his father, Dominic Raiola, played at Nebraska from 1998 to 2000 and was the first Rimington Trophy winner.
🔴NSD LIVE🔴@AdamGorney checks in with Dylan Raiola's father, Dominic, to discuss his son's flip from Georgia to Nebraska and how he envisions his future with the Huskers👇
🗞️: https://t.co/W2RZy5aoON pic.twitter.com/M37LnAMLkw
— Rivals (@Rivals) February 7, 2024
His uncle Donovan is Nebraska’s offensive line coach. The news of the phone call caused a flood of reactions, most of them negative. Herbstreit told Paul Finebaum that the idea that he would try influencing recruiting at any level is ridiculous.
The former Ohio State quarterback said that if he was guilty of anything, it was giving his honest feelings regarding Husker head coach Matt Rhule.
“Are you supposed to say Matt Rhule is a bad guy, Matt Rhule is an idiot, Matt Rhule is a bad coach? Or do you say, ‘I like Matt Rhule. I think Matt Rhule is a good coach.’”
From previous comments from Dylan and Dominic Raiola, it’s pretty clear that several factors played into the commitment switch. It’s highly doubtful that one phone call from Kirk Herbstreit played any role in the decision.
Kirk Herbstreit gives his take on the phone call he had with Dylan Raiola's dad before the QB recruit flipped his commitment from Georgia to Nebraska pic.twitter.com/W7fWbSrKHq
— Paul Finebaum (@finebaum) February 8, 2024
Contact/Follow us @CornhuskersWire on X, and like our page on Facebook to follow ongoing coverage of Nebraska news, notes, and opinions.
Three future Nebraska Cornhuskers participated in one of high school football’s biggest all-star games on Friday night.
On Friday night, three future Nebraska Cornhuskers participated in one of high school football’s biggest all-star games. Carter Nelson, Dylan Raiola and Preston Taumua participated in the 2024 Polynesian Bowl.
The game drew the top high school players in the country to Hawaii. All three future Huskers saw the field in Team Makai’s 28-17 victory over Team Mauka.
Quarterback Dylan Raiola finished with a game-high 111 passing yards with one touchdown and one interception. Tight end Carter Nelson finished with a team-high three catches for 65 yards. Offensive lineman Preston Taumua also saw action.
You can find social media reactions to the 2024 Polynesian Bowl below:
A future Nebraska quarterback is making headlines on social media.
A future Nebraska quarterback is making headlines on social media. Class of 2024 recruit Dylan Raiola was trending on Monday afternoon after his performance in the Polynesian Bowl long ball competition.
Raiola had throws of 72 and 70 yards, making him the only quarterback in the competition to break 70+ yards. Three future Huskers will be taking part in this year’s all-star game.
Those three participants are Carter Nelson, Dylan Raiola, and Preston Taumua. The game will see the top high school players in the country ‘gather in Hawaii to celebrate culture and play the game they love.’
The two teams will be coached by former Cincinnati Bengals head coach Marvin Lewis and former Minnesota Vikings head coach Mike Zimmer.
The Polynesian Bowl will occur on Friday, January 19, at 8:00 p.m. CT from Kunuiakea Stadium in Honolulu, Hawaii, live on NFL Network.
You can find social media reactions to the throw below.
Later this week, three future Nebraska Cornhuskers will participate in one of High School football’s top all-star games.
Later this week, three future Nebraska Cornhuskers will participate in one of High School football’s top all-star games. Carter Nelson, Dylan Raiola, and Preston Taumua will participate in the 2024 Polynesian Bowl.
The game will see the top high school players in the country ‘gather in Hawaii to celebrate culture and play the game they love.’ The two teams will be coached by former Cincinnati Bengals head coach Marvin Lewis and former Minnesota Vikings head coach Mike Zimmer.
Lewis currently serves as a special advisor to the head coach at Arizona State. Zimmer last served as an analyst/consultant at Jackson State during the 2022 campaign.
The Polynesian Bowl will occur on Friday, January 19, at 8:00 p.m. CT from Kunuiakea Stadium in Honolulu, Hawaii, live on NFL Network. You can find a complete breakdown of the Huskers participating in the game below.
Nebaska’s class of 2024 is loaded with talent across the country. Five of the Huskers’ 29 commits rank as the No. 1 prospect in their respective states. The 2024 group is currently ranked as the No. 19 ranked recruiting class in the country and the …
Nebaska’s class of 2024 is loaded with talent across the country. Five of the Huskers’ 29 commits rank as the No. 1 prospect in their respective states.
The 2024 group is currently ranked as the No. 19 ranked recruiting class in the country and the No. 6 ranked class in the Big Ten Conference. One of those top recruits is five-star quarterback Dylan Raiola.
Raiola is Nebraska’s first five-star recruit since running back Marlon Lucky in 2006 and is the highest-ranked prospect in the modern recruiting era.
The Huskers continue to show success recruiting in-state under Matt Rhule as well. Nebraska signed eight players from the state of Nebraska for the second season in a row. Four-star tight end Carter Nelson leads this year’s group out of Ainsworth, who is also the state’s top recruit.
Find the entire list of the top recruits by state to sign with the Nebraska Cornhuskers below.
Five-star quarterback Dylan Raiola will have his own trading card.
As the nation’s top quarterback prospect, it shouldn’t be a surprise that Dylan Raiola will have his own trading card. Just in time for Nebraska football fans to put on their holiday gift list.
A five-star quarterback from Buford High School (Buford, Georgia), Raiola made a late – and rather monumental – flip from Georgia to Nebraska during the early signing period. This follows Raiola’s official visit to Nebraska last weekend.
And in this new era of Name, Image and Likeness (NIL), Raiola has announced a sponsorship deal with Panini for his own trading card. The announcement came shortly after everything was made official with Nebraska.
Always dreamt of what it would be like to have my own trading card… Excited to announce that I’ve signed my first exclusive NIL deal with @PaniniAmerica! #ratedprospect pic.twitter.com/G6yVzbRDgC
— Dylan Raiola (@RaiolaDylan) December 21, 2023
His senior season at Buford was strong, showcasing Raiola’s incredible arm strength and accuracy. All told this fall, Raiola threw for 2,666 yards with 34 touchdowns and two interceptions while completing 63.2 percent of his passes.
Raiola really fine-tuned his game this season under Buford’s offensive coordinator Gus Condon, arguably one of the top coordinators in high school football.
Who were the top five quarterbacks to sign with Big Ten teams during the early signing period? #GoBucks
The first day of the early signing period is in the books and the newly expanded Big Ten added a wealth of talent. It would take too long to evaluate every prospect in one piece, but the additions at quarterback earn their own discussion.
There was a great deal of drama for the top quarterback in the class, Dylan Raiola. He bounced his commitment from one school to another. Ohio State was his first choice, but when pen met paper, it was another Big Ten school that made the cut.
With the expanded 18-team Big Ten including four major powerhouses on the West Coast, it should not be a surprise the conference added seven of the top 20 quarterbacks in the nation.
It should also not be a surprise that the Buckeyes added one of the highly-ranked gunslingers. The following are the top five quarterbacks to commit to Big Ten Schools during the early signing period based on the 247Sports composite.
