Dylan Raiola Didn't Say Anything Wrong

Dylan Raiola Didn't Say Anything Wrong

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Dylan Raiola Didn't Say Anything Wrong

Here we go again.

A former player goes somewhere else and is complimentary of his new program over his old one. That isn't a Husker-centric experience. It happens all across the nation in different sports as the transfer portal has allowed athletes to move about at will and get asked about the differences between where they are and where they were.

But there's no need to take what Dylan Raiola said this week so personally.

Here is exactly what the former 22-game starter at Nebraska said at Oregon's media day on Tuesday:

It’s definitely been a transition. I’ll start with the landscape outside — there’s not cornfields here. There’s mountains and trees and I love the nature. As far as football, it’s different. With coaches and players, we have a lot more talent than we did at Nebraska.
I don’t say that to knock on them, but I think everybody will know that. I’m very grateful for my time there. Learned a lot from my coaches, teammates, still have those relationships. But I think that I’m really excited for what Oregon’s going to bring, not only to my life, but for my teammates as well.

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You've likely seen that quote, or at least portions of it. Here's how the question was asked:

What were the biggest differences between Nebraska and Oregon, just in terms of team culture and vibe? It's very different, like a hard-nosed Midwest team versus a team that's known for the swag, the hype, the newness. What's it been like?

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"The differences between Nebraska and Oregon". Is not one of those differences the landscape? He didn't say "there's not cornfields here" in a disparaging way. Of course, Lincoln has a larger population than Eugene, but there are still cornfields growing up against city limits. That's a good thing, and something Raiola experienced when doing a video for the black alternates last year.

"We were basically dressed in the car. It was nighttime. The bugs were crazy. I was just getting eaten by bugs. We all were," he said. "But it was pretty cool. I've never been inside, like, a cornfield. To actually see the husk of a corn, I asked if I could take one home, but they said, 'This is one of our donors, don't touch it.'"

He asked if he could take home a husk of corn after his first time being in a cornfield. That certainly sounds like some extremely anti-corn, anti-Nebraska rhetoric.

The black alternates against USC were the last time Dylan Raiola played in a game for Nebraska. | Dylan Widger-Imagn Images
The black alternates against USC were the last time Dylan Raiola played in a game for Nebraska. | Dylan Widger-Imagn Images

What's a defining characteristic of the Pacific Northwest? Mountains and trees. That isn't the polar opposite of Nebraska cornfields as some form of disrespect. If you go outside in downtown Laramie, you'll see mountains, but does that automatically make the Wyoming faithful Husker haters?

Now for the talent remarks. Duh?

Oregon is preseason No. 2 in the nation from the Coaches Poll. Nebraska got 12 vote points, good for the equivalent of a tie for 41st with Virginia Tech. By every measure known to man—recruiting, recent results, rankings—Oregon has more talent. Talent doesn't always make the difference in how a game unfolds, but it is a fact that more resides in Eugene than Lincoln right now.

Raiola even immediately pointed out that the talent difference isn't meant as a knock to Nebraska. He's grateful for his time in Lincoln and what he learned from his coaches and teammates. There's not a bitterness to what he's saying.

He closed the question by saying he is excited for what he has ahead at Oregon. Should Anthony Colandrea or Owen Chambliss or Tree Babalade not be excited about what they have ahead of them at Nebraska over their previous schools? Should they not believe there is more talent in Lincoln than UNLV, San Diego State, and South Carolina?

This is a galaxy away from when former Husker James Williams made his comments a year ago, only to follow them up by responding to troll accounts after a Husker loss.

This Raiola "situation" was a big nothingburger that got turned into an online tantrum from fans and media alike. Anyone who took what he said personally seems to have had an issue with him from his time in Lincoln or how his departure went and was waiting for something to latch onto from his comments.

Did it work out as well as everyone wanted when he committed? No. Did the team have it's two best seasons in a decade? Yes. Is he gone now? Yes.

Raiola likely won't even be on the field when Nebraska travels to Autzen in October. But he may be the starter when Oregon returns to Memorial Stadium in 2027. Either way, Husker fans should have plenty of other reasons to cheer for the Big Red over the Ducks than some throwaway, harmless comments at the start of fall camp.

/endrant

WHAT IS YOUR TAKE: Raiola's Comments on Nebraska - Community PostWHAT IS YOUR TAKE: Raiola's Comments on Nebraska – Community Post*

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