Nebraska freshman star Dylan Raiola showed his loyalty to the program after confirming he had no intention of transferring, potentially leaving millions of dollars on the table in the process.
And Cornhuskers head coach Matt Rhule has the chance to reward his quarterback after a Nebraska legacy made the surprise move over entering the portal. Texas A&M junior wide receiver Noah Thomas declared his intention to leave the Aggies on New Year’s Day.
The 6-foot-6 wideout led the Aggies with 39 receptions for 574 yards and eight touchdowns in 2024, and his impending exit is a huge blow for head coach Mike Elko. But his loss could be Rhule and Raiola’s gain.
Thomas’ father, Will, was a defensive back for Nebraska in the 1990s, and the 20-year-old’s uncle, Broderick Thomas, was a star player for the Huskers. The defensive lineman was selected sixth overall in the 1989 NFL Draft after four stellar seasons in Lincoln earning unanimous All-American honors as a senior.
The 57-year-old is a member of the Nebraska All-Century team. He played 144 games in the NFL across stays with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, Detroit Lions, Minnesota Vikings and Dallas Cowboys, racking up 47.5 sacks.
Those legacy ties could be invaluable in an attempt to acquire a commitment from the four-star transfer prospect. Nebraska made a strong push to land him out of high school, only for the Texas native to opt to stay closer to home with the Aggies.
Raiola showed flashes of brilliance as a 13-game starter for Nebraska as a Freshman, leading the team to a 7-6 record capped by a 20-15 victory over Boston College in the Bad Boy Mowers Pinstripe Bowl last week.
But the 19-year-old would certainly welcome some big-time additions to his supporting cast ahead of next season. Leading receiver Jahmal Banks has reached the end of his eligibility, leaving a void to be filled, and Nebraska lacked the kind of big-body redzone threat that Thomas would offer if they could lure him to Lincoln.
However, securing a commitment will not be easy, with On3 reporting blue-chip programs Texas, Miami and Georgia are also interested in swaying the receiver.
Raiola himself could have had huge NIL opportunities, had he explored the transfer portal this winter. He is one of the most marketable players in college football heading into 2025, having joined Nebraska as a consensus top-10 recruit. On3’s NIL rankings value him as the No. 25 player in the country, with many of the names above him in the list heading to the NFL in April’s draft.
A quarterback-needy program could have put together a lucrative NIL package to tempt him to transfer. But he chose to play for Nebraska primarily due to his own family ties, with his father Dominic a stalwart offensive lineman for the Lions in the NFL for more than a decade spending his college days with the Cornhuskers.
And the quarterback confirmed at the end of the regular season that he had no intention of going elsewhere. He said: Honestly, it was unfortunate that I had to, you know, kind of reassure everyone I was here. I never officially entered [the portal] and never really was shopping around.
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