Following early signing day and before the February signing day, the coaches are returning to the road to recruit, and Matt Rhule, the coach of Nebraska, is in Hawaii right now.
Dylan Raiola and Carter Nelson are both in Hawaii at this time, so that works out nicely. However, Nebraska has signed a player from the islands named Preston Taumua, and the school is still interested in recruiting there after adding Ben Scott and the aforementioned lineman.
Raiola may have spent the last few years living in another state, but it doesn’t hurt that he is as connected as anyone there. His uncle, Donovan Raiola, the offensive line coach at Nebraska, and his father, Dominic Raiola, were both well-known linemen at Honolulu’s St. Louis High School, a dominant school.
Houston Kaahaaina-Torres, a St. Louis lineman, is ranked #1 on the Islands for 2025 in both the 247Sports and 247Sports Composite rankings.
The lineman, who is already well-known in Nebraska, expressed his excitement for Donovan Raiola, Rhule, and all things Huskers to Husker247 in the fall.
“Nebraska is still one of my top choices,” he declared. The culture that coach Matt Rhule and his team have been fostering is incredibly appealing to me. Ever since they had the opportunity to speak with guys from the ’25 class, I have maintained communication with Coach Williams. and have communicated with coach Raiola as well.
In addition, Nebraska has extended an offer to 2025 defender Aiden Manutai, who stated to 247Sports in the fall that the Huskers, along with Arizona and Oregon, were among the three institutions that stood out. He reaffirmed earlier this month that an official visit is probably in the works for the Huskers.
The 6-foot-170-pound safety is only ranked No. 6 on 247Sports, but he is the No. 2 player on 247Sports Composite in Hawaii.
Actually, Rhule had visited Manutai’s program on Monday morning and shared a picture of it.
In 2026, Nebraska has opportunities in the state as well, so Rhule will probably keep using this time to cultivate those connections on the Islands.
Salutations to Brett Maher
A year ago, in the final game of the Wild Card round, the Cowboys defeated the Tampa Bay Bucs, but the former Nebraska kicker failed to score extra points. This is one of the most cruel aspects of sports: your worst day can be extremely visible.
Eventually, it resulted in his firing from Dallas, and Maher moved about once more, making waves with other teams before being cut.
On Sunday night Maher accounted for three field goals in three tries and a pair of extra points. It might be the last we see of the former Husker in the NFL, he struggled in other stints for the Rams this year, but it was nice to see Maher go perfect a year after missing four extra points.
