Dylan Raiola #15 of the Nebraska Cornhuskers takes photos with fans after the win against the Wisconsin Badgers (Photo by Steven Branscombe/Getty Images)
Joe Ganz is considered to be one of the top 10 quarterbacks in the history of Nebraska football and is now coaching at Middle Tennessee University, but he still holds the Cornhuskers program and his time there.
“One thing I will always remember is my first home start against Kansas State and I know that coach Callahan was coaching for his job, but I broke all of those records,” he said in an exclusive interview with RG. “And to do that in my first home start in front of all of the fans when I knew that I could play there after waiting my time is so special. I still remember that sequence play by play.”
Ganz still keeps up with the program when he isn’t out on the field working with his own players on Saturdays. There’s a lot of room for excitement with what Nebraska has accomplished as of late, with intriguing players like quarterback Dylan Raiola in the fold.
It’s obviously still a work in progress, though, to restore the team to what it has seen in its glory days.
Coaching in Nebraska
In the eyes of Ganz, Nebraska fans have become impatient with the slow rebuild, and that’s because it’s been a long time since they have had the success they have desired.
There have been more heartbreaking moments than breakthrough moments. It’s hard to see that things are moving in the right direction, but good things are coming right down the track based on the direction the program is moving in.
“I think coach [Matt] Rhule is doing a great job,” he said.
“He’s very much in a situation in which I feel like head coach Bo Pelini was in when he came in. I think he just had maybe some more experienced players in terms of why he was able to turn it around a little quicker.”
Based on Rhule’s actions, words and obvious intent with the program, Ganz is excited about what is to come for the Cornhuskers.
“I think coach Rhule is on the right track, with everything I hear him say in his press conferences and everything, I think Nebraska is right there. I think they’re just looking for that one breakthrough moment, as cliché as it sounds.”
Having Raiola with the squad could be pivotal, not just because of the heights he has the ability to take the offense to after wowing as a freshman, but also the way his presence can help to up the recruiting game.
“Once that [moment] happens it’s going to help a lot, because I think [Dylan Raiola] is going to attract a lot of good players to play there offensively,” Ganz said. “And their defense has been pretty good for the past couple of years anyway.”
Sky-high Ceiling For Quarterback Dylan Raiola
There were few quarterbacks with a name as hot as Nebraska quarterback Dylan Raiola in the preseason. That was not only for the ceiling the signal-caller brings to the table, but also for the uncanny similarities he physically has to Patrick Mahomes.
Those go for both on the field and off of the field.
“My son is six years old, and he saw a picture of Dylan,” Ganz said. His son truly thought it was the Kansas City Chiefs standout in the photo. “He said, ‘Dad, look. Patrick Mahomes is in a Nebraska jersey’. I said, ‘That’s not him. That’s our quarterback.’”
Down to the specific way he throws the ball, Raiola bears resemblance to Mahomes.
“I think the first thing you see is just the arm angles,” Ganz said. “Going back and watching Mahomes at Texas Tech and just the things he was able to do. The different ways you can deliver the ball and all the different arm slots and just the arm talent, it’s just freaky.”
Despite requiring a little more polish to his game, Ganz describes Raiola as a freak of nature for what he was able to accomplish at a mere age of 18 years old.
That was to be expected, to an extent, because Raiola was such a highly touted recruit. But that does not take away from just how amazing it truly is. Ganz says he certainly was not able to replicate anything close when he first joined the Nebraska football team, and recalls just how intimidating it was.
Just like Ganz encountered in his own career, there will be times when Raiola gets too much praise and times when he simply does not get enough of it. But he certainly has the foundation of a quarterback who should receive a wealth of praise consistently.
“The way he can throw the ball and how calm he is in the pocket, you can tell, from a quarterback perspective, that he doesn’t let the rush bother him and that his eyes are always downfield,” Ganz said.
Raiola goes through his progressions well and is cool under pressure, especially for a young buck. That much is easy to see on the game film.
“He is always trying to look for the open receiver, and being an 18-year-old playing in the Big Ten is not easy,” Ganz said. “The raw talent is there, and I think he is just going to grow and continue to get better. As a quarterback gets older, the process becomes quicker, and it just allows you to play the position so much faster.”
Rising Above The Pressure
It should also not be discounted that Raiola was thrown right into the fire and did not have the chance to hold the clipboard. Not being able to sit behind experienced quarterbacks and receive a bit of mentorship has affected some signal-callers negatively over the years.
“I was lucky enough that I got to sit for several years before I had to be out there, so the game really slowed down for me. But he is progressing just so fast,” Ganz said.
Nitpicking and being very particular about their individual performance is common among quarterbacks and is something Raiola has done before – that’s natural. But to say he has not soared above and beyond the bar is absurd thinking.
“He may think he has underperformed, but he has exceeded expectations for a true freshman,” Ganz said. “Everything you want from a quarterback perspective is there. People are going to want to play for this guy because he is going to consistently be able to push the ball down the field and throw skill players open.”
On the flip side, being too aggressive and taking too many hero shots is another common thing in quarterbacks with a high talent level and not a ton of experience. Once Raiola harnesses that, he will be an even bigger star than he already is.
“The one thing you sometimes run into is having extreme confidence, the ‘Brett Favre syndrome’ of thinking you can make every throw, and you think you can make every throw at every angle,” Ganz said.
That comes with more self-control comes better mechanics. Trying to do too much, too fast, can cause a quarterback’s mechanics to collapse.
“Sometimes you don’t allow for your mechanics to be as good as they should be, because you’re so physically talented that you think you can overcome that, which could lead to accuracy issues, missing throws,” Ganz explained.
Patrick Mahomes, who Raiola could develop into a unique version of if he fully reaches his ceiling, is a bit of an exception to that rule.
“Obviously it works for Mahomes, though. But he is one of one,” Ganz said. “He is probably the biggest freak to ever play the game. Sometimes when you rely on your talent, you lose what the quarterback position is truly supposed to be about at the base.”
It will be interesting to see what ultimately comes of Raiola, but there’s no question that several people like Ganz have a world of confidence in him. The Nebraska quarterback finished out the 2023 season with a 66.6% completion rate, passing for 2,595 yards with 12 touchdowns and 10 interceptions.
And it’s only up from here.
Crissy Froyd is a sports reporter of over 10 years who specializes in quarterback analysis at the high school, college and NFL level. She was mentored by Mike Leach and learned the Air Raid offense and quarterback evaluation largely under the legendary head coach. Froyd has appeared in and worked with multiple publications, including USA TODAY SMG, Sports Illustrated, NBC Sports and Saturday Down South. She also covers canine journalism for Showsight Magazine and resides in Wisconsin with her three dogs -- two German Shepherds named Faxon and Bo Nix, and one Siberian Husky named Stetson "Balto" Bennett.
