Forde-Yard Dash: The Splashiest Debuts From Dylan Raiola to Nate Frazier

The Dash is granting Instant Savior Status to a handful of players and coaches who made an impact in their first games with their new teams.

Nebraska Cornhuskers quarterback Dylan Raiola rolls out to pass against the UTEP Miners. / Dylan Widger-USA TODAY Sports

Forty names, games, teams and minutiae making news in college football, where the first tailgate of the season can end with a mug shot if you go too hard. First Quarter: Twelve Angry Men.

Second Quarter: Splashy Debuts

There are more new faces in new places than ever, and many of them had strong season openers. A brief Dash list of players and coaches who have been granted Instant Savior Status—at least for one week.

Dylan Raiola (13), Nebraska Cornhuskers quarterback

In a sport overrun with old quarterbacks, the highly touted teenager was splendid in Game 1 as a collegian. Matt Rhule scored a recruiting coup by getting Raiola to flip from the Georgia Bulldogs to the Cornhuskers, and the top QB prospect in the Class of 2024 has grabbed the starting job from the start. Raiola completed 19 of 27 passes for 238 yards and two touchdowns with no interceptions against the UTEP Miners. On Saturday, the spotlight shines brighter with the Colorado Buffaloes coming to town, but the Buffaloes aren’t packing a great defense for the trip to Lincoln. And Raiola looks like a guy who has been prepared for this level of stardom for a while now.

Diego Pavia (14), Vanderbilt Commodores quarterback

The Albuquerque Tinkler is now famous for something other than urinating on the logo at New Mexico’s indoor facility while he was the QB at the rival New Mexico State Aggies. Pavia whizzed all over the Virginia Tech Hokies’ defense in his Vandy debut, passing for 190 yards and two touchdowns and rushing for 104 yards and another score. Pavia said after the game that an unidentified someone at Virginia Tech labeled him “a poor man’s Trace McSorley,” referring to the former Penn State Nittany Lions QB. It’s really not much of an insult, given McSorley’s body of work with the Nittany Lions, but maybe the “poor man’s” part got him, ahem, pissed off.

“When you stop me, then you can talk,” Pavia said.

Commodores coach Clark Lea was high on Pavia during the offseason, quickly realizing he was getting a winner—Pavia was 14–9 as the starter at NMSU, a place where it’s even harder to win than Vandy. With Pavia providing the spark, the Dores have a chance to be 3–0 going into the Missouri game Sept. 21.

Cam Ward (15), Miami Hurricanes quarterback

Ward’s career climb from Incarnate Word to Washington State to The U has been a wild one, and he keeps proving himself at every step of the way. His Hurricanes debut was a dissection of the Florida Gators, throwing for 385 yards and three touchdowns in a surprisingly easy romp. Ward did the most important thing first upon arrival in Coral Gables, establishing a chemistry with star receiver Xavier Restrepo, who had seven catches for 112 yards and a touchdown against the Gators. Given the state of the rest of the ACC, Ward moves chronic underachiever Miami to the top of the conference contender list.

Ward has had a wild career climb, but he continues to prove himself. / Matt Pendleton-USA TODAY Sports

Andy Kotelnicki (16), Penn State Nittany Lions offensive coordinator

Only one team that played against a power-conference opponent had four plays from scrimmage of 40 yards or longer in Week 1, and it was the Nittany Lions. What makes that stat more remarkable is Penn State had just eight 40-plus-yard plays in the entirety of 2023, which was tied for 112th nationally. So, yeah, the arrival of Kotelnicki from the Kansas Jayhawks has put some rev in the previously balky Penn State engine. Quarterback Drew Allar looked more confident in taking downfield shots, and his receivers (particularly junior Harrison Wallace III) were more capable of making plays. 

D’Anton Lynn (17), USC Trojans defensive coordinator

The Trojans might have been the worst-tackling power-conference team in the nation in 2022 and ’23. That certainly was not the case Sunday night against the LSU Tigers when USC repeatedly made stops in the open field and filled holes at the line of scrimmage in a 27–20 triumph. Credit the arrival of Lynn, a 34-year-old rising star in the business who is the son of longtime NFL coach Anthony Lynn. Lincoln Riley swiped him away from the crosstown rival UCLA Bruins, and Lynn brought a very talented safety with him in Kamari Ramsey—he had a team-high nine tackles against LSU. Ramsey was one of six ’24 transfers to start on the USC defense, but the holdovers from ’23 played better as well.

Tim Lester (18), Iowa Hawkeyes offensive coordinator

Life after first-team All-Nepotism coordinator Brian Ferentz is off to a predictably improved start. The Hawkeyes scored 40 points in Lester’s first outing calling plays, their most in 36 games. Cade McNamara recorded a pass efficiency rating of 167.68—not an outrageous number, but Iowa’s highest in five years. Lester isn’t reinventing offensive football; he’s just restoring a baseline competency that was embarrassingly absent in recent years. With the Iowa defense, baseline competency could be enough to go a long way.

Jeremiah Smith (19), Ohio State Buckeyes wide receiver

He was the Rivals No. 1 recruit in the Class of 2024, and he immediately showed why in the opener against the Akron Zips. Just forcing his way into the rotation at a loaded position was one thing, but Smith proceeded to lead the Buckeyes in receptions (six), yards (92) and touchdowns (two). The Miami product is big (6’ 3”, 215 pounds), fast and remarkably polished for his age. Maybe finding the next Marvin Harrison Jr. isn’t that hard after all.

Kyle McCord and Fadil Diggs (20), Syracuse Orange quarterback and defensive end

McCord was the 2023 Ohio State starter who was essentially cast off in the program’s quest for a championship-caliber QB. He spun it impressively in his Orange debut against the Ohio Bobcats, throwing for 354 yards and four touchdowns. Meanwhile Diggs, a Texas A&M transfer from Camden, N.J., who returned to the Northeast, had eight tackles, four tackles for loss and two sacks.

McCord transferred to Syracuse after being cast off at Ohio State. / Rich Barnes-USA TODAY Sports

Riley Leonard to Beaux Collins (21)

The new Notre Dame pass-and-catch duo, exported from the ACC, helped the Irish to a big road win at Texas A&M. Leonard beat his old head coach at Duke, Mike Elko, with a workmanlike performance (158 yards passing and 63 running). That left new offensive coordinator Mike Denbrock talking to Leonard at the end of the game, pointing at the scoreboard and saying, “That’s all that matters.” Leonard’s biggest completion of the game was a 20-yarder to Collins, a Clemson transfer, on the go-ahead drive in the fourth quarter. Collins finished with five catches for 62 yards, while his old team once again flailed in the passing game.

Nate Frazier (22), Georgia Bulldogs running back

Kirby Smart tends to get what he wants in recruiting, and he wanted this guy out of Compton, Calif. With presumptive starter Trevor Etienne suspended for an offseason DUI, the pregame expectation was that Frazier would get an opportunity to flash. He delivered, rushing 11 times for 83 yards and a touchdown and catching a pass for 24 yards. “He seized the moment,” Smart said. The coach said he doesn’t have a depth chart at running back, just going with who had the best week of practice, which indicates Frazier will have a chance to keep earning reps even with Etienne expected to return this week.