Nebraska quarterback Dylan Raiola is making kids’ dreams come true.
Raiola hosted his first youth football camp at Memorial Stadium on Saturday. The quarterback and some of his teammates taught the campers drills, signed autographs and more.
Growing up, Raiola attended many camps and now is hosting his own. He said it’s a cool experience getting to run this youth camp.
“It was a surreal feeling, and it was a blessing,” Raiola told Hail Varsity. “It’s kind of crazy to think that I was that kid going to camps, and now people are signing up to come to my camp. So it means the world.”
Many of Raiola’s teammates helped during the camp, including running back Emmett Johnson and wide receiver Jacory Barney Jr. Raiola said it means a lot having them come out and support him.
“It’s amazing,” Raiola said. “It just goes to show our culture, how much we love each other, how much we support each other, and that we’ll do anything for each other.”
Team camaraderie is a huge part of Nebraska football. Johnson said that it was very important for the offense to come out and show their support for Raiola after all that he does for them.
“If we had a camp, Dylan would be there for us,” Johnson said. “So it just shows the brotherhood that we have in the room and just shows how close we are as a team. It means a lot for us to come out here and support him. Dylan’s doing a great job of giving back to the community, so it’s been really fun.”
Giving back to the community is something that’s very import to the Husker players. Barney said he enjoys seeing the kids and doing his part to help Dylan.
“It’s exciting for me to see him bring the whole community out,” Barney said. “It’s always good to give back and I’m just blessed to be in this position. Happy for my guy, I’m happy to be out here.”
Being the star quarterback for the Huskers comes with a lot of perks, including kids wanting to be like you. Plenty of the campers showed up in Raiola jerseys or decked out in his brand gear. Raiola said that it’s cool to be an inspiration to the younger generation.
“I’m glad I can be that person that they look up to,” Raiola said. “I know I was that kid that was looking up to people, and I still do.”
There were a lot of great memories that came from this camp, but spending time with the kids was Raiola’s favorite.
“Just the interaction with the kids,” Raiola said. “We don’t get that interaction very often as football players, especially going into the season. So it’s super fun to just see them and watch them smile and have fun. It brings me back down to my childhood days.”
Along with all the good memories from the camp, the players also want the kids to learn a lot of lessons about Nebraska football that they can carry with them as they grow up. Johnson hopes the kids remember to enjoy what they do and have fun.
“They know that we’ve got some great players,” Johnson said. “Not just football players on the field, but great humans. I hope they take that into their lives after this camp and just have fun with everything they do.”
With all the camps that the Huskers have been hosting lately they have built a strong culture around the football program. Raiola believes that this is a great foundation that they’re setting for future Nebraska players.
“It’s just, everyone’s bought into what Nebraska is, and Nebraska football,” Raiola said. “Everyone says it’s the good life, and then this is what it is. This is what it’s all about, is the kids, and they’re the next wave of guys coming through. So for them to show up and do camps, it’s a lot of fun.”
