Louisville football currently has a big dilemma. With Miller Moss having no more years of eligibility remaining and Brady Allen hitting the portal, the Cards have a big hole in the quarterback position. However, with today’s age of college football, the Cardinals have a chance to grab an experienced quarterback in the transfer portal.
Multiple big names have thrown their names into the portal, and one player that sticks out is Nebraska quarterback Dylan Raiola. Raiola just played his second season with the Cornhuskers and will have two years of eligibility remaining when he finds his new home.
Now, there are many options in the portal, but not as many that can fit the Cardinals' mold and help them improve. The Nebraska quarterback should be a main point of interest in this offseason’s recruiting cycle, since he could help the Cardinals win games. Let’s take a look at three reasons why Dylan Raiola would be the perfect fit for the Cardinals.
3. Raiola shares the ball
It doesn’t seem as though Louisville will have the comfort of relying on a star receiver like Chris Bell to carry most of the load on the receiving end, but luckily, they might not have to. Raiola didn’t count on one wide receiver to be open all the time at Nebraska; he used all of his receivers and found the open man.
This season, Nebraska had four receivers who had at least 30 receptions and three receiving touchdowns. Bell was the only Cardinal who would fit into this category this year, and he won’t be returning next season.
With Louisville losing most of its receivers from this past season, the Cards can’t rely on one person to make all of the plays. However, if they can bring Raiola to Louisville, the Nebraska quarterback can dish out the ball evenly and make every receiver better.
2. Experience
The Cardinals were in a position this year to fight for the ACC Championship, but fell short by just one score in multiple games. Now, as the 2026 season is approaching, Louisville can’t afford to stay in the same place, or worse, go backwards.
Bringing in Raiola would bring in a quarterback who has had experience playing the best of the best. Raiola led Nebraska in a close game last year against the National Champion Ohio State team, and ended up only losing 21-17. He has been battle-tested by other teams like Indiana, Michigan and USC, and could handle the challenge the ACC brings.
The Cardinals team will look a lot different next season when the first kickoff occurs, and the new players acquired will be the reason for the Cardinals' success or downfall. With a tenured quarterback like Raiola leading the charge, the Cards could finally take home an ACC championship.
1. Jeff Brohm will bring the best out of him
One reason that was floating around was that Raiola left Nebraska because he wanted to develop his game and get ready for the next steps in his football career. If the former Nebraska quarterback is truly serious about this, then Jeff Brohm has got to be one of the top coaches he is looking to play for.
Brohm has sent six quarterbacks to the NFL, which could potentially be seven depending on what Miller Moss’ future holds. Most recently, Brohm brought in Tyler Shough from Texas Tech to be the Cardinals' quarterback for the 2024 season. Shough, who could never find a solid footing beforehand, threw for nearly 3,200 yards and 23 touchdowns.
Raiola already has a solid footing, as he threw for 2,000 yards this season, but the possibilities could be endless for the quarterback when he is learning from one of the best in Brohm.