Nebraska has first spring transfer depature; Dylan Raiola ’10 steps ahead’ of where he was

You can tell that Nebraska football has an incredible culture based on the fact that the Huskers didn’t have a player enter the transfer portal until Tuesday.

Defensive back D’Andre Barnes, a signee in the 2023 recruiting class, was a three-star defensive back coming out of high school. He only played one game for Nebraska football in two seasons.

There was some positive buzz about the 6-foot, 195-pound cornerback out of Colorado. Yet, the depth chart was probably stacked against him, and it makes sense to enter the portal. It will be interesting to see if he plays on Saturday.

Matt Rhule said he wanted players to showcase themselves for other teams. It’s possible that Rhule told him he’s closer to being off the 105, if it’s enforced, than on it. Barnes also might want a better shot for playing time in 2025, since he only has three seasons left.

Either way, it shouldn’t impact the depth chart much, outside of it being a little thinner. Nebraska has Ceyair Wright, Andrew Marshall, Donovan Jones, Amare Sanders, Larry Tarver, Mario Buford, and others competing for time at cornerback.

Barnes is technically the first spring transfer. Alex Bullock wasn’t with the team this spring. Hardley Gilmore was kicked off before he entered the portal.

Nebraska football HC Matt Rhule Dylan Raiola: “He’s 10 steps ahead of where he was”

Outside of the fact that Rhule said there would be about 60 plays during Saturday’s scrimmage, maybe the most encouraging thing he said was about Dylan Raiola.

Raiola needs to take a big step forward this season if the Huskers are going to be a playoff contender. This team is capable of winning 8-10 games, but Raiola needs to be one of the better quarterbacks in the Big Ten.

Third-Team Big Ten seems reasonable. He’s got the ability, and talking to reporters on Tuesday, Rhule said the star quarterback for Nebraska football is “10 steps ahead of where he was last year.”

Rhule noted he’s better in the pocket. The game is also slowing down for him, I’m sure, and if he can play the way he did against Wisconsin last season, more consistently, the 2025 season will be a fun one for Nebraska football fans.

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