Today’s Positional Preview is the most important and popular position on the field.. Quarterback. This room will make or break this team, as we saw last season. I do fully believe this will be a much upgraded position, not just the starter but the depth as well. Coach Satterfield moving to the Tight End Position is a good move, I think he is a much better Offensive Coordinator than a Quarterbacks Coach, and the addition of Coach Thomas will be great. I have not been able to meet or talk with Coach Thomas yet, but I have heard great things, and having NFL coaching experience is a plus and common for this staff. I will give a brief outlook on what to expect from our top Quarterbacks on this team coming into the 2024 season!
Starting with our boy Danny Kaelin, an Elite 11 prospect and the top rated quarterback recruit from the state of Nebraska last season, will most likely be redshirted this season. When we landed Raiola, there was a large sentiment we may lose Kaelin’s commitment (understandable) but after a brief visit elsewhere, not only did Kaelin stay committed in Lincoln, he recruited other top players in the state to stay home. Kaelin played a big role in getting fellow Omaha kids to Lincoln, but played a large role in getting Carter Nelson (4 star Tight End) to stay a Husker despite late efforts from other schools. Kaelin is a guy that could get some playing time early this year in blowouts, but do not expect him to get over four games. We need him to develop as much as he can to be THE GUY if/when Dylan leaves (for the draft?).
Jalyn Gramstad is a late addition to this room that is much needed. Gramstad comes to us after a FANTASTIC NAIA football career, having thrown for 3,681 yards and 35 touchdowns against nine interceptions while completing 68% of his attempts last season. Gramstad also brings in some senior leadership to a room with two true freshman, and a smart player. Yes, NAIA is a drop off from the Division 1 level, but we do know Gramstad has the ability to read a defense past the high school level, where most of us coaches simplify reads as much as we can. Gramstad wants to be a coach, has dreamed of being a Cornhusker since he was a kid, so in my opinion he is in a great position to be QB3 and immediately go into a graduate assistant coaching role in Lincoln a year from now.
Heinrich Haarberg is the only returning quarterback from 2023 and to me is our ultimate wildcard player. Haarberg saw a lot of action after taking the starting job from Jeff Sims in the game against the Northern Illinois Huskies. In 2023, Haarberg appeared in 10 games, completing 77 of 157 passes (49%) for 967 yards with 7 touchdowns and 7 interceptions. He also ran the ball a lot with 120 rushes for 477 yards and 5 touchdowns. For sure, there were turnover issues and accuracy problems, which is why he won’t be the Day 1 starter this season. But, you all need to remember the previous regime wouldn’t even let him in Quarterback meetings. Having Coach Thomas will tremendously help with development and the turnover problems, but I expect much more from Haarberg.. Yes, he will most likely be the backup quarterback, but now that Grastad provides from upperclassman depth, I expect Haarberg to play a Wildcat back, and some goal line Power-running schemes. Haarberg is too good of an athlete to not have on the field in some way, and if you think Rhule won’t use his best athletes to make plays, you do not understand Coach Rhule at all.
The man on everybody’s mind, Dylan Raiola.. Got to be QB1 in all of our minds, right? Rhule won’t say that until August but any concerns were put to rest in the Spring Game, in my opinion. Seeing him throw at Pro Day, and the Spring Game, Raiola is by far the most talented thrower in this roster. The best true freshman quarterback in the country resides in Lincoln, Nebraska wearing the Scarlet and Cream.. What a sentence. My expectations and goals for Raiola this season are simple.. Don’t turn the ball over. Our talented skill players, dominant defense and tough run game will take care of the rest. If Raiola turns the ball over ½ the amount the quarterbacks did last year, Nebraska wins 8 games.. Book it! We do not need heroic efforts or stats, we just need consistency and ball security.
Overall, this room is in a good spot. Two veterans, two true freshman with tremendous upside, and a fantastic quarterbacks coach. The biggest thing this room needs to focus on this year, TAKE CARE OF THE FOOTBALL! The rest will take care of itself. GBR!
