TL;DR
- Matt Rhule denied seeing reports about Raiola potentially leaving Nebraska.
- Rhule expressed love for Dylan Raiola and all his players.
- Raiola has not publicly responded to the departure rumors.
- Raiola previously discussed his leadership and recruiting efforts for Nebraska.
Nebraska Cornhuskers coach Matt Rhule didn't have time for unnecessary drama Wednesday.
When speaking with reporters before the Cornhuskers' Week 14 Senior Day matchup against the Iowa Hawkeyes,, Rhule was questioned if he had seen the CBS Sports report from Chris Hummer suggesting Raiola might depart Lincoln before next season.
In expected Rhule fashion, he was taken aback by the question.
“I haven’t seen that report,” Rhule told reporters. “I haven’t seen that, so I don’t know anything about that. I would never get up here and talk about a player. I love Dylan like I love all my guys. He’s in there doing treatment right now. So I don’t know about that.”
Raiola has yet to respond to the reports publicly, but this could all end up just being fluff as he remains in recovery.
Raiola spoke about his leadership by example within the football program during an interview last April on Bussin' With The Boys..
“I’m trying to help bring as much talent as I can here,” Raiola said then. “Recruiting season now, everyone’s coming through to come see us, and I’m getting texts from recruiting people like, ‘Come see this guy, come see this guy.’ I’ve got class and all this stuff, but I’ll come say what’s up."
“It’s fun. I mean, I remember being recruited, so I know how it feels.”
As this situation continues to unfold, more will likely become clear regarding Raiola's future, depending on how Nebraska concludes its season.
For now, though, Week 14 needs to play out first.