Nebraska starting quarterback Dylan Raiola aims to move on from the narrative that his weight is an issue.
The former five-star is preparing for his second season in leading the Cornhuskers’ offense. Raiola helped lead Nebraska to its first winning season (7-6) since 2016 while throwing for 2,819 yards with 13 touchdowns to 11 interceptions as a true freshman.
Third-year head coach Matt Rhule’s comments this spring sparked a controversy over Raiola’s offseason weight, saying “he won’t be a great quarterback at 240 pounds.”
And fans were left wondering if Rhule was attempting to address a potential issue with his comments, as Raiola is listed at 6-foot-3, 230 pounds on Nebraska’s website.
But the situation has been overblown, according to Raiola, who revealed his honest thoughts on the matter.
“If I’m being honest, it sucks,” Raiola said on Thursday. “I’m just being honest. It’s a constant grind every day. Sometimes you don’t see change right away. In this instance, a physical body standpoint doesn’t change in a day, it doesn’t change in a week, it doesn’t change in two weeks, not even three. It’s just the consistency of staying on it and keep going.”
Rhule also spoke on the situation, clarifying that his previous comments did not mean that Raiola is 240 pounds.
“I felt really bad,” Rhule said on Tuesday. “I thought it was poor on some people’s part. If you went back and listened to what I said, I said ‘He knows he can’t be 240.’ I didn’t say he was 240. Some people ran with that and it’s unfortunate. I’m very marked with how I say things, I say things in a specific way. And all I said was he knows he can’t be something.”
