2024 Spring Preview: Quarterbacks
We are starting our spring position previews with the quarterback position, as that is one of the most intriguing spots in my opinion for the team. Last year, Matt Rhule brought in Jeff Sims at the guidance of a coach he trusted and it fell flat on its face. From dropping snaps, to fumbling, to just an entirely weird season when it came to this spot, 2023 was one to forget for the most part.The lone bright spot (though some of you may argue it isn’t one) is that Heinrich Haarberg came out of nowhere and led Nebraska to multiple victories giving him precious starting experience and having him as QB1 heading into fall camp. We dive into this position group and figure out who may emerge.
Glenn Thomas Takes Over For Satterfield At QB Coach
I wanted to start by talking about this a little bit. I can tell you of the 3 practices i’ve been to, I can tell a noticeable difference between how he coaches the position compared to Satterfield last year.
Thomas is extremely technical, talking to the QBs about arm placement, footwork, etc. While last year our QB coach was more talking about progressions and working from within the offense. I think the QB coaching this year will help people see a big difference in HH’s throwing, but also help our young guys Raiola and Kaelin come along.
What does interest me is I always wanted my offensive coordinator to be the QB coach. You want that guy around the signal callers as much as possible so they can just be an extension of what your OC is and they know why he is calling what he is calling. While Thomas is co-OC, Satt is the one with the final say. I don’t anticipate this to be a huge deal, but if I had my way with it I would want Satt to be the more technical QB coach that called the plays and have someone else go down with the TEs. That’s extremely nitpicky though, I don’t anticipate it being an issue.
The Quarterback Room
As we discussed, we have 3 scholarship players in Heinrich Haarberg, Dylan Raiola, and Danny Kaelin. Each has a unique story to them, but each could possibly have their place in Lincoln at any given time, game, or season.
I was one of those people extremely worried about the number of QBs that we have in the spring and heading into the fall. With only 3 scholarship QBs I got concerned. After watching a few practices, I do think we have the right amount of guys. HH, Raiola, and Kaelin can all work with the top offenses while our walk-ons handle the scout team duties for now. I don’t see a need to add another QB after this spring unless someone leaves. Further, Rhule made a point he actually likes having fewer QBs here this spring as it gives guys that absolutely need reps plenty of opportunities to get them in the limited practice time/days. If you remember, last year we had 6 scholarship QBs on the roster and that’s before counting walk-ons for spring. While some of them were hurt, you just couldn’t get the amount of reps you needed or give people the opportunities they deserved.
HH is QB1 as of right now. Rhule will always go with the returning starter over the true freshmen or first year guys that come in. But I do see HH getting overtaken before the first game (barring an injury) by the next guy. Haarberg will be able to find his place though. Between being a threat at TE, or having him be our 2nd/3rd and short QB, it gives you a lot of options. Think of him as a wildcat RB but with the ability to throw. He will be able to get on the field for us to take pressure off needing to start Raiola.
Our second guy is Dylan Raiola. As I said when Thompson came here that there wasn’t a QB battle, as I said when Sims came here that there wasn’t a QB battle, and as i’ll say for 2024, there isn’t a QB battle. Raiola was the #1 rated QB coming out of high school choosing between Ohio State, Georgia, and us. He didn’t decommit from the Bulldogs to come and backup here as a freshman. Also, we didn’t give him a 7 figure NIL deal to come and sit on the sidelines. Every Nebraska person that understands things knows what will happen come the first game, you just can’t say it yet if you are in that building.
The third QB is Danny Kaelin, a local kid from Bellevue West. If you are unfamiliar, Kaelin committed to Nebraska very quickly after Raiola told us he was going elsewhere in the spring of 2023 and was a very big help peer-recruiting guys like Carter Nelson and others. How fortunate is Nebraska to have Kaelin come in during the same class as Raiola? An Elite 11 QB, he is everything you would want in an option just in case Haarberg or Raiola go down for an extended period of time. As many have heard, Kaelin is throwing the ball unbelievably well this spring. He’s one of the first guys in and out of every drill and in meetings, and he has run an offense close to what we are doing here in high school.
Raiola throws the ball so effortlessly it’s really fun to watch. Kaelin is close to his arm talent but not quite, but with those two we at least have a decent 1-2 punch to throw the ball. Our change of pace guy can be Haarberg who at least has experience throwing at this level as well.
Rhule Takes The Pressure Off Raiola
There is already a tremendous amount of pressure on Raiola as it is. His dad has his name on our stadium, #1 QB recruit so people are just expecting him to start. So the message Rhule is sending is great in my opinion to DR. “We already have our starter returning so don’t try to do too much. You’ll start when you are ready.”
While Raiola has been in front of the media a couple times, he isn’t being trotted out there too often. And I think that will only help temper expectations and continue to allow Raiola to just get better and learn while not having to deal with the high bar that fans/media are setting for him. Rhule knows those things are there, but shielding the kid from them for now is a great move.
Kaelin’s Support System
I need to bring this up because the big winner in all of this could be Danny Kaelin. I am setting the over/under at 2 years for how long Dylan Raiola is at Nebraska. He absolutely won’t be here more than 3. He will either head to the pros or transfer after year 3 if that’s the case. But if Kaelin has the right people in his corner, he can redshirt this year and be a RS Soph or RS Junior once Raiola is gone. All of this while learning the offensive system and getting familiar with the players and coaches on the team. In a world where everyone transfers whenever they can, my crystal ball thinks that if he can stick it out he would be in a great spot.
Depth Chart Prediction:
QB1 – Dylan Raiola
QB2 – Heinrich Haarberg OR Daniel Kaelin
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