As I sit here on the floor of Mercedes-Benz Stadium (great game going on between Manchester and Bowdon), let's try to talk through this thing. It might get a little word-vomit-y, so bear with me.
Raiola's uncle is and has been on staff. That's nothing new.
Nebraska had an okay year one under Matt Rhule. Not great on offense. Definitely not a year one turnaround like Sonny Dykes experienced at TCU last year, for example.
The Huskers are now trying to bring in Ohio State transfer QB Kyle McCord, who either has or is expected to visit Lincoln.
So what has changed on the Huskers' end?
I'm sure Nebraska has upped the NIL package, potentially by a lot. The publicity alone from flipping the No. 1 QB in the country from a program like Georgia would be worth it to a lot of folks, let alone what he would bring on the field.
But as Dash reported from one of his sources, he doesn't believe this is about NIL.
That brings us to playing time.
To me, it seems obvious that starting as a freshman would be a tall task for Raiola. He has some more fine-tuning and developing to do before he's ready to start in the SEC in my opinion, even with enrolling early. Furthermore, you'd think Gunner Stockton would have the leg up over him to start in 2024 simply from having 2 years in the offense already.
So what changed there?
The obvious answer is that maybe Carson Beck's potential return spooked him. But that isn't something that should come as a total shock. It's not like Beck was viewed as a Caleb Williams-type at the start of the season that was for sure going pro. I'm sure it was and has been communicated to Raiola that there's a chance that Beck will return in 2024.
Maybe Raiola didn't believe it. Maybe he thought Beck would have such a great year he'd definitely go pro. That can still happen, by the way. But perhaps Raiola views the path to playing time at Nebraska as much easier and quicker even with the potential addition of McCord. It'd be hard to argue with that.
In short, I don't know what has happened. I posted earlier tonight that I would be shocked if he flipped. But with each passing minute it seems there's more and more smoke and legs to this thing.
We're doing our best to bring you the most up to date info and will continue to do so in the coming days. Just remember, as a wise man once said, it's fluid.
Raiola's uncle is and has been on staff. That's nothing new.
Nebraska had an okay year one under Matt Rhule. Not great on offense. Definitely not a year one turnaround like Sonny Dykes experienced at TCU last year, for example.
The Huskers are now trying to bring in Ohio State transfer QB Kyle McCord, who either has or is expected to visit Lincoln.
So what has changed on the Huskers' end?
I'm sure Nebraska has upped the NIL package, potentially by a lot. The publicity alone from flipping the No. 1 QB in the country from a program like Georgia would be worth it to a lot of folks, let alone what he would bring on the field.
But as Dash reported from one of his sources, he doesn't believe this is about NIL.
That brings us to playing time.
To me, it seems obvious that starting as a freshman would be a tall task for Raiola. He has some more fine-tuning and developing to do before he's ready to start in the SEC in my opinion, even with enrolling early. Furthermore, you'd think Gunner Stockton would have the leg up over him to start in 2024 simply from having 2 years in the offense already.
So what changed there?
The obvious answer is that maybe Carson Beck's potential return spooked him. But that isn't something that should come as a total shock. It's not like Beck was viewed as a Caleb Williams-type at the start of the season that was for sure going pro. I'm sure it was and has been communicated to Raiola that there's a chance that Beck will return in 2024.
Maybe Raiola didn't believe it. Maybe he thought Beck would have such a great year he'd definitely go pro. That can still happen, by the way. But perhaps Raiola views the path to playing time at Nebraska as much easier and quicker even with the potential addition of McCord. It'd be hard to argue with that.
In short, I don't know what has happened. I posted earlier tonight that I would be shocked if he flipped. But with each passing minute it seems there's more and more smoke and legs to this thing.
We're doing our best to bring you the most up to date info and will continue to do so in the coming days. Just remember, as a wise man once said, it's fluid.
