Nebraska head coach Matt Rhule announced that he would name a starting quarterback “sometime in the next week” following the Cornhuskers’ second major scrimmage of training camp on Saturday. True to his word, former five-star recruit and program legacy Dylan Raiola was revealed as the starter for what could prove to be a pivotal season for Nebraska.
Who Sits Atop the Nebraska QB Depth Chart Ahead of 2024 College Football Season?
Dylan Raiola (Freshman)
Raiola, the highest-ranked recruit ever to sign with Nebraska per 247Sports, was the frontrunner for the starting job in the eyes of almost everyone outside of Lincoln entering the summer.
He threw for 8,442 yards, 88 TDs, and 11 INTs over the last three seasons in high school and turned heads at the Cornhuskers spring game when he threw for 238 yards and two touchdowns. His prowess from the pocket gave Rhule no choice but to start the much-heralded true freshman.
Heinrich Haarberg (Junior)
Haarberg won five of his eight starts for the Cornhuskers in 2023, leading the team in both passing yards (967) and rushing yards (477) for the season while accounting for 12 total touchdowns.
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While that collegiate starting experience is something he has over the competition, Haarberg also displayed some traits as a passer that needed work this offseason. His 49% completion percentage ranked 182nd among the 185 FBS quarterbacks to attempt at least 75 passes in 2023. Possibly even more concerning is that over 9% of his pass attempts (seven out of 77) ended up in the hands of the opposition.
Daniel Kaelin (Freshman)
While attending high school about an hour away from campus might have made Kaelin a fan favorite to start at quarterback, the five stars next to Raiola’s name on the scouting services supersede that storyline.
Not only did Kaelin throw for 2,225 yards and 17 touchdowns as a senior at Bellevue West High School in Bellevue, Neb., but he has continually impressed the coaching staff beginning in the spring and into the summer.
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