Glenn Thomas: Dylan Raiola 'More Confident' as Nebraska Football's Starter

Glenn Thomas, quarterbacks coach for Nebraska football, joined Sports Nightly Wednesday and discussed freshman signal caller Dylan Raiola's fall camp, his excitement for the start of the season, and the confidence in his backups.

Dylan Raiola rolls out during the 2024 Nebraska football spring game. / Kenny Larabee, KLIN

The Nebraska quarterback room continues to grow more confident as the season nears.

Glenn Thomas, quarterbacks coach and co-offensive coordinator for the Huskers joined the nightly "Sports Nightly" program from the Huskers Radio Network on Wednesday, and shared his personal belief in his newly named starter, Dylan Raiola.

"I think he had a great camp," Thomas said. "He kind of had some ups and downs but learning opportunities as camp went on and continued to get better. Overall, (he) felt like he gave us the best opportunity - down in and down out - to move the football."

"He's becoming more and more confident with that news out there. He can take a step forward from a leadership standpoint because everyone knows the situation. He's accepted it very graciously and humbly."

- Glenn Thomas on Dylan Raiola

Nov 11, 2023; Lincoln, Nebraska, USA; Nebraska Cornhuskers quarterback Heinrich Haarberg (10) and running back Emmett Johnson (21) during the first quarter against the Maryland Terrapins at Memorial Stadium. / Dylan Widger-USA TODAY Sports

Thomas added the offense is continuing to "fine tune" the details of the offense - from spacing, timing, and trust building between the quarterbacks and receivers. The former Steelers assistant continued that backups Daniel Kaelin and Heinrich Haarberg have seen reps to further their development and keep up support of their teammates.

"They have been great. They have all been supportive of each other. Obviously a unique situation to not name the starter early, so they were all competing against each other for the same job - but it has been cool to see," Thomas said. "(They) try to help each other, ask each other questions, trying to get each other better because at the end of the day we're going to need all of them to be at their best."

The quarterbacks coach shared his respect for Haarberg in accepting the reserve role, and stated that Kaelin is "humble and eager to learn."

Sep 9, 2023; Boulder, Colorado, USA; Nebraska Cornhuskers fans celebrate a score in the third quarter against the Colorado Buffaloes at Folsom Field. / Ron Chenoy-USA TODAY Sports

Thomas discussed several other topics with host Greg Sharpe, including the difference-makers at wide receiver, the in-helmet communication during game day, and what he expects to see from the offense on Saturday against UTEP.

Watch the full episode of 'Sports NIghtly below:

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MORE: The Single-Digit Jerseys’ Place Among Husker Football Traditions

MORE: Nebraska Volleyball’s Middles Key to 2024 ‘Race for the Roses’

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