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One Chicago Bears assistant is headed to the Big Ten.
Donovan Raiola is set to become the Nebraska Cornhuskers’ next offensive line coach. “NU head coach Scott Frost soon, perhaps on Wednesday, will formally announce Donovan Raiola as his new offensive line coach,” Steven M. Sipple of The Courier Times reported on December 7.
“Donovan Raiola, in his fourth season as the Chicago Bears’ assistant offensive line coach, understands the gravity of the role he’s accepted. He acutely understands what strong offensive line play means to the Nebraska fan base,” Sipple added.
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The Bears Were Raiola’s 1st Coaching Gig in the NFL
Raiola played college ball at Wisconsin, where he played on the offensive line, and he bounced around the NFL in some capacity from 2006-2011, and he began coaching shortly after he left the game in 2011. He’s the younger brother of former Detroit Lions center Dominic Raiola, so o-line play is in his blood.
Raiola has worked with some impressive coaches, including former Notre Dame and Bears offensive line coach Harry Hiestand.
Here’s a look at his coaching resumé so far:
- Kamehameha Schools-Kapalama HS (2012–2013) — Offensive line coach
- Hawaii (2014) — Intern
- Notre Dame (2015–2016) — Graduate assistant
- Aurora University (2017) — Offensive line coach
- Chicago Bears (2018–2021) — Assistant offensive line coach
- Nebraska Cornhuskers (2021–Present) — Offensive line coach
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Complete Overhaul Likely in Chicago Once Regular Season Ends
With the Bears sitting at 4-8 and the NFC North-leading Green Bay Packers waiting in the wings Week 14 and two sure-to-be-tough divisional games against the Minnesota Vikings also on the schedule, a losing season seems likely for the Bears. Considering the team’s brass strongly suggested improvement was desirable after back-to-back 8-8 seasons coupled with Chicago’s complete ineptitude offensively, a complete coaching overhaul is expected by most insiders and analysts — and the Bears’ current coaching staff is already feeling the heat.
“To say that you don’t think about it would be a lie,” DeFilippo said about the rumors head coach Matt Nagy and the rest of his staff will be fired, via NBC Sports. “Because you do have family and friends, and I consider a lot of people I work with lifelong friends.”
“The people you worry about are actually the people that are outside in the noise—my wife and my daughter,” DeFilippo added. “Those are the people you worry about. My friends. My mom and dad. They read those things, because they have time to and they love me. So those are the people you worry about. We’re so insulated here in this building for however many hours a day that it’s like our fortress. It really is. A lot of the noise gets kept out of the fortress, and we’re fortunate for that. But it is what it is. So to say that you don’t think about it or feel it, it’s a lie. Because you do. It’s more so for other people than yourself.”
It was a candid moment from an experienced coach who can pretty much see the writing on the wall. We’ll see what happens, but it’s likely Raiola will be the first of many coaching changes at Halas Hall.
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