The Pick Six Podcast - Husker sports news and analysis · Omaha World-Herald

Talking Dylan Raiola and what's next for Nebraska at QB

·33 min·2 clips

Sam says Nebraska needs TJ Lateef or a portal quarterback to be healthy, good, and fast enough to win next year.

1. The Pick Six Podcast centers on Dylan Raiola’s move away from Nebraska and the Huskers’ next quarterback decision. 2. Evan Bland hosts with Sam McEwen, and both cover Nebraska football, men’s and women’s basketball, and the College Football Playoff. 3. The episode asks whether Nebraska is resetting after Raiola or simply moving to a different version of the same quarterback plan. 4. Sam McEwen says Nebraska and Raiola reached a point where expectations, money, and fit made separation likely. 5. He describes the choice as Raiola staying at Nebraska for more money or leaving for a fresh start at another school. 6. McEwen says Nebraska had already communicated what it expected from Raiola going forward. 7. He rejects the idea that Donovan Raiola’s departure drove the quarterback move. 8. McEwen also says Dayton Raiola was not going to play at Nebraska. 9. He frames Raiola as a player Nebraska used to attract recruits, including during the July 28, 2024 introduction around the Osborne legacy complex. 10. McEwen argues Nebraska willingly accepted that identity shift instead of having it happen to them. 11. He says national reaction treats the move like a Nebraska problem, while local reaction includes more context and less shock. 12. McEwen says the real next step is Nebraska’s portal quarterback decision in the next three weeks. 13. He says TJ Lateef’s showing against Utah will matter because Nebraska still needs a better evaluation of him. 14. McEwen links that evaluation to whether Nebraska needs to shop for a transfer quarterback or trust Lateef. 15. He says Matt Rule’s intensity matters because Rule wants Nebraska successful and wants the program to reach the College Football Playoff. 16. McEwen says Nebraska may need a 2026 version of Diego Pavia or another portal quarterback who can compete with Lateef. 17. The conversation turns to Dana Holgorsen’s “best available” line, which McEwen interprets as tied to Nebraska’s offensive vision. 18. He says Nebraska has not gotten the quarterback position right in recent years with Jeff Sims, Heinrich Harburg, and Raiola. 19. The tone is conversational, argumentative, and heavily football-focused, with frequent back-and-forth interruptions. 20. Fans tracking Nebraska quarterback decisions and portal strategy will get the most from this episode.

As heard by us

A Nebraska quarterback conversation that keeps the next roster step in proper context.

The episode keeps Nebraska's quarterback transition at the center, while making room for portal movement, bowl prep, and the shape of the 2026 roster. Evan Bland and Sam McEwen keep the pace steady, and the football logic stays clear instead of wandering off into bigger theory.

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Why you'd press play

You want the next Nebraska quarterback question answered with actual context.

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