Flagging this one, just in case: about how Nebraska’s QB1, Dylan Raiola, who beat out Virginia’s QB2, Daniel Kaelin, in a 2024 camp battle for the top spot on the depth chart, is now preparing to enter the transfer portal.
Kaelin, a three-star Nebraska high school recruit, had been the centerpiece of the 2024 recruiting class for coach Matt Rhule, to the point that Kaelin was tasked with helping recruit other in-state seniors in the Class of 2024.
But then Raiola, the five-star recruit and son of former Nebraska All-American offensive lineman Dominic Raiola, flipped his commitment from Georgia to Nebraska in December 2023.
Raiola had the inside track to the QB1 post thereafter, with his uncle, Donovan, on Rhule’s staff as the offensive line coach.
Seems that the Raiolas have since had a falling out with Rhule, who fired Donovan in November, ahead of Dylan’s younger brother, Dayton, also a QB, deciding to decommit from Nebraska’s 2026 class.
The younger Raiola is not a big loss at all – he projects to be a Group of 5 guy; his other FBS offers, per 247Sports, were from Charlotte and Appalachian State.
I’m flagging this in the event that Rhule might have renewed interest in Kaelin, who despite being just a three-star had wide interest – offers out of high school including Miami, Vanderbilt, Missouri, Arizona State, Duke, Kansas, Kansas State, North Carolina.
ICYMI
- UVA Football: Daniel Kaelin gets trial-by-fire at quarterback in loss to Wake
- UVA Football: ‘Hoos land former Nebraska QB Daniel Kaelin from the portal
True freshman TJ Lateef filled in for Dylan Raiola after the sophomore was lost for the season with a broken fibula suffered in Nebraska’s 21-17 loss to Southern Cal on Nov. 1.
Lateef was 1-2 as the starter down the stretch, the two losses being in blowout fashion – a 37-10 loss at Penn State, and a 40-16 home loss to Iowa.
Lateef was 43-for-76 (56.6 percent) for 461 yards and three TDs (no INTs) in this three starts, in which the Cornhuskers averaged 18.0 points per game.
Kaelin saw action in seven games, mostly in garbage time – though he did get significant action in the Week 11 loss to Wake Forest, subbing in for starter Chandler Morris after Morris was knocked out by a pair of Wake defenders on a cheap shot on a second-quarter run.
Kaelin availed himself well in the relief appearance: 18-of-28 for 145 yards through the air, 73 sack-adjusted rushing yards on the ground.
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Chris Graham
