Nebraska quarterback Dylan Raiola. / Vincent Carchietta-Imagn Images
As I listened to the Omaha World Herald’s Evan Bland talk about Dylan Raiola on our most recent Common Fan Podcast episode, I couldn’t help but think about the contrasts between Raiola and former Tennessee quarterback Nico Iamaleava.
The situation involving Iamaleava has been front page news in the college football world recently. Here’s what we know for sure: Iamaleava started at quarterback for Tennessee during the 2024 season, passing for 2,616 yards, 19 touchdowns and five interceptions. The Volunteers, as you may recall, went 10-2 on the regular season and made the college football playoff. Then last week, reports surfaced that Iamaleava had skipped Tennessee’s practice on Friday, April 11. He followed that up by skipping the team’s spring game the following day, and he is now in the transfer portal, looking to take his talents to a new school.
To paraphrase Captain Jack Ross (Kevin Bacon’s character) in A Few Good Men, these are the facts, and they are undisputed. After these facts, though, there are conflicting reports about the “why” behind what happened. ESPN reported that Iamaleava was set to make $2.2 million from his NIL deal in 2025, and was holding out for more money–in the range of $4 million. According to this version, he was using the threat of transferring to extract more from Tennessee’s NIL collective, and the Vols called his bluff. On the other side of the ledger, it is being reported that an unnamed family friend is insisting Iamaleava wasn’t holding out for more money, but about his father seeking assurances that Tennessee would strengthen other position groups to stay competitive.
Whatever the real story is, the situation has sparked intense debate—not just about Iamaleava or Tennessee, but about the broader state of college football in this NIL and transfer portal era.
Is your head spinning yet? I don’t have any inside information surrounding Iamaleava’s situation; very few do. Maybe he’s getting bad advice. Maybe he’s making a mistake that he’ll come to regret. Maybe he’s perfectly justified in skipping the end of spring ball and seeking out a new situation. Who knows?
What I do know is that reading about the mess in Knoxville makes it crystal clear that Nebraska is lucky to have Dylan Raiola.
Raiola has completely thrown himself into being the leader of Nebraska’s football program. It seems impossible to think that he would skip practice or abandon his team. And he’s not just the leader of the football team, he’s become a face for the university and the community. As Evan told us, “You know, the old adage…half of the battle is just showing up? He (Raiola) shows up with the best of them, and not just in football. He was down in Las Vegas for Nebraska basketball and The Crown. He’s at all the volleyball matches, you know, (and) we’ve gotten little kind of anecdotes here and there this spring about his impact.”
Evan went on to highlight how Raiola has played a key role in bringing in some of Nebraska’s most important offseason transfers. Dane Key, the wide receiver transfer from Kentucky, said Raiola was a huge reason he came to Nebraska. Nyziah Hunter, a wideout from Cal, said Raiola was the very first person—player or coach—to text him when he entered the portal, encouraging him to make the move to Lincoln. Hunter even commented that Raiola would be the first guy invited to his wedding. Talk about making an impact.
Raiola’s efforts show up in countless small ways. As Evan described: “You go through the transfer season…some of the high school recruiting and guys will tell you, Raiola was there with the coaches right next to him, going through the official visits and facility tours, doing all that stuff. He’s a guy who’s in the facility early. He took boxing lessons this offseason, and he was in early doing that before class. He helped throw for the Pro Day that Nebraska put on. So like, he’s a guy who is everywhere. All winter, he was at high school basketball games with Emmett Johnson. Those guys showed up.”
The picture being painted of Raiola is one of a leader. He is all in on helping Nebraska get over the hump and get back to its winning ways. It’s exciting to Husker fans heading into the 2025 season, as Matt Rhule looks to take a leap in his third year leading the program, and Dylan tries to take his play to the next level in his second year under center. In Evan’s words: “He’s transitioned from this freshman trying to fit in and to gain respect from a lot of older guys, now he’s becoming that voice, being one of those players that’s universally respected on the team. And you think about…some of Nebraska’s quarterbacks in the last 10, 15 years…not all of them were comfortable in the public eye. Not all of them wanted or were naturally leaders. And he just puts in the time, man. He does it on top of all the talent and all the stuff that we talk about.”
That’s music to the ears of the Big Red faithful. When former Husker Will Compton commented on the situation regarding Iamaleava, he understood where the young quarterback might be coming from, but also emphasized the importance of being a leader and a good teammate. Raiola checks those boxes. He’s fully invested in playing that role for Nebraska, which frankly is exactly what the Huskers need.
That’s what makes the contrast so powerful. Iamaleava’s not the first player to seek more money, or a better situation. But the way he went about it—walking away from his team during spring ball—says a lot. He left what appeared to be a great situation at Tennessee. Raiola, on the other hand, isn’t letting his NIL deal or high profile get in the way of his commitment.
As Evan said: “He’s being compensated well from an NIL perspective and he’s become the face of the program, but he’s putting in the time, man. He’s earning it.”
As always, GBR for LIFE.
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