Nebraska AD Announces Revenue Has Doubled as Dylan Raiola & Co. Receive Big News

Reeling from the sting of a Michigan loss, Nebraska Cornhuskers fans don’t exactly want to hear about balance sheets and concession numbers. Yet, behind the scoreboard, the athletic department is stacking wins where it matters most to the balance sheet. Revenue. Not just a bump, but rather a full-on surge. The Huskers have sold an average of 0.58 beers/person across three home games based on scanned tickets, The number at Arrowhead Stadium was 0.93. Michelob Ultra being the rational leader in adult beverages, with sales nearly twice as high as its rivals. The white Busch Lite can with ‘N’ logos was by far the most popular. That has given a lot of push to Dylan Raiola and his crew. Forget NIL, beer money is where it’s at now.

Athletic director Troy Dannen pulled back the curtain on Huskers Radio, revealing that concession revenue has doubled compared to this time last year. The momentum isn’t confined to the taps. Saturday’s game against Michigan drew 160 recruits and family members across a dozen sports. That influx, combined with calculated exposure moves, has the department humming.

Dannen highlighted efforts like coach Matt Rhule’s “House Rhules” podcast and his regular ESPN appearances with Pat McAfee. The idea is to keep Nebraska visible, keep the brand hot, and keep the money flowing. As Dannen put it, “There’s been a lot of growth happen in two years and (four) games with football.” Keeping the football loss aside for a moment, they are doing a lot of things that is adding revenue.

Omaha is also witnessing its greatest ambassador, arguably the greatest welterweight boxer: Terence “Bud” Crawford. Nebraska had prepped for every possibility regarding the champion boxer’s attendance, including whether he stayed the full game or dipped early. He came after schooling Canelo in front of 45M+ on Netflix for 12 rounds. The image of his mouthpiece with a bold Husker “N” from that fight lit up the video board just as UM attempted (and nailed) a field goal. Fans ate it up. Dannen called it a “calculated move,” hinting that Crawford’s Husker connection could become a recurring feature. It’s the type of brand synergy that schools dream of.

Back to the main thing, football. Dylan Raiola took a pounding against Michigan, an was sacked seven times, and pressured continuously. Nebraska’s edges simply weren’t wide enough, leaving UM’s defensive front feasting all afternoon. Maybe use some of that beer money towards bolstering the offensive and defensive lines because no QB, no matter how talented, can shine when he’s running for his life.

Matt Rhule may need more beers sold to get RB talent

The backfield questions are just as pressing. Emmett Johnson has the No. 1 running back role locked down, but the depth behind him is wobbly at best. Rhule admitted as much, saying, “That’s literally the question I asked my staff this morning. We need some more production out of that second spot.” With all that money, where’s the problem? It should be simple, right? Wrong.

More beers might be flowing through Memorial Stadium than ever before. As Matt Rhule doesn’t think Nebraska has enough funds where it truly matters, which is the NIL arms race. After the Michigan game, instead of dwelling on blown protections or seven sacks, Rhule turned his postgame mic into a fundraising pitch.

“I think there are a lot of things to that, right. Like, there’s money. Some people paid more money than I had,” Rhule said. Then he got blunt, shifting the responsibility straight onto boosters. “When people say to me like, ‘I’m worried about the D-line.’ Do you know how much a D-lineman costs nowadays to go get him in the portal? Alright, 1890 is right there. Write a check, and then you can talk to me about what you think we should do.” The irony is that Nebraska’s donor base is already among the nation’s richest and most loyal.