Insider hints at Matt Rhule making one of Nebraska’s most important decisions ever

Matt Rhule pulled off Nebraska football's biggest recruiting coup in recent memory by flipping five-star quarterback Dylan Raiola from Georgia just before Signing Day in December.

Now it's his job to decide when to unleash the star quarterback on the Big Ten.

Rumor has it Nebraska fans won't have to wait long to see him. Brad Crawford of 247Sports made that much clear when responding to a tweet about who the top first-year starters in college football will be this season.

"Based on what I'm hearing..." Crawford tweeted along with a photo of Raiola.

Dylan Raiola looks primed to start for Nebraska

Raiola was spectacular in Nebraska's Spring Game just a few months after enrolling early. He threw two touchdowns while going 16-of-22 for 239 yards. One of those touchdowns was a 64-yard bomb.

It's hard to watch those highlights and contain excitement about Raiola's potential.

The Cornhuskers plan to have their quarterback competition continue into fall camp. Even so, at this stage Raiola feels like the favorite to land the job.

Heinrich Haarberg is Raiola's biggest challenger. He started eight games in 2023, going 5-3. He actually opened the season as a hybrid receiver but he eventually took over for Jeff Sims at quarterback. He also threw two touchdowns in the spring game, looking capable enough to run the offense.

As encouraging as Haarberg may have looked last year and in the spring, he doesn't have the soaring ceiling that Raiola has. If he is named the starter to begin the season, he's going to be under a microscope with fans looking for any reason to put Raiola in.

Rhule can play it conservatively and give Raiola as much time as possible to develop behind the scenes. Or he can be aggressive and hand the freshman the keys to the car right away.

No one knows exactly which route he'll choose, but we all have our guesses.