It’s official. The Dylan Raiola sweepstakes have come to a close. On Monday of this week, Raiola chose the Georgia Bulldogs over program finalists such as Nebraska, USC, Oregon, and Ohio State. But what does Raiola’s commitment to Kirby Smart mean for the program’s momentum with quarterback recruiting for the 2024 cycle? Let’s discuss Nebraska’s quarterback options.
Playing The Waiting Game With Stone Saunders
With Raiola out of the picture, where does Nebraska recruit their future quarterback from? Matt Rhule and his staff have already lost several prospects while pursuing the Arizona signal caller. Even local quarterbacks like Daniel Kaelin and Zane Flores have chosen to go their separate ways with the program. But there is still hope for the Cornhuskers if they still are needing a signal caller. However, it may not be right away. In March, Rhule hosted 2025 recruit and Pennsylvania quarterback Stone Saunders on a visit to Lincoln. At 6-2 and 195 pounds, the four-star prospect has elite arm talent. He led his high school to a state title by throwing for 3,583 yards and 54 touchdowns last season. Even more impressive are his offers from programs like Michigan, Georgia, Tennessee, and Clemson. As of now, the Huskers are in a good spot in his recruitment. Saunders has raved about his time in Lincoln on social media and he is set to take more visits to the program next year. But will he be swayed by other programs or build something new at Nebraska? We will soon find out.
#GBR ? 🌽 pic.twitter.com/eHJ9BrwUff
— Stone Saunders (@Stone_Saunders8) May 15, 2023
An Intriguing Target In Kamari McClellan
Another target that the Huskers could end up adding to the 2024 class would be Kamari McClellan. The three-star signal-caller out of Pinson, Alabama fits the prototype of a player that Rhule would want to recruit in his program. An added bonus is that he would already fit the mold of a dual-threat quarterback that has a similar skillset to Jeff Sims. He could play right away in 2024, as the staff could substitute McClellan as someone who could run the offense after Sims graduates. Because of these factors, he would be a welcome addition to Nebraska’s quarterback room. But can the Huskers pull him away from other schools? McClellan already has several offers with programs like Oregon, Auburn, and South Carolina spearheading the biggest obstacles to his commitment. As of now, it looks pretty grim for the Huskers as he is forecasted by 247Sports to commit to South Carolina.
A Third Option In Dante Reno
If the Huskers are still struggling to find a quarterback, one of the better options would be Dante Reno. As a sophomore at Cheshire Academy in Massachusetts in 2021, he showed off his efficiency when he completed 66% of his passes. This led him to throw for 2,507 yards and 25 touchdowns. Even more impressive was that he was named the MVP of the Under Armour Next Camp. But the only problem is that he is still a South Carolina commit. However, this is where his relationship with Marcus Satterfield comes in. As the offensive coordinator for the Gamecocks in 2022, Satterfield led the team to an 8-5 record in the SEC. But even more impressive is the things he did with Spencer Rattler as his quarterback. This demonstrated itself when he combined for 94 points to upset two top-ten teams to end the season. Now with Satterfield at Nebraska, Reno could potentially start where he left off. It just would be under Jeff Sims and Rhule. This sounds like an intriguing possibility for him. But does he take the chance to decommit from head coach Shane Beamer and Dowell Loggains this early in the recruiting cycle?
Read more about Marcus Satterfield here: https://lastwordonsports.com/collegefootball/2023/05/05/looking-at-nebraskas-qb-room-after-transfer-portal-departures/
Photo courtesy: Dylan Widger-USA TODAY Sports
