Donovan Raiola is a man of few words, but also one who approaches his profession and the game of football with extremely high expectations.

His résumé as a three-year starting center at Wisconsin and coaching stints with Notre Dame and the Chicago Bears certainly appealed to Nebraska head coach Scott Frost during his search for a new offensive line coach.

Having legendary former Husker center Dominic Raiola as his older brother didn't hurt, either.

But Raiola's fire on the field and emphasis on constant player development checked two top-priority boxes for Frost's vision for the future of NU's o-line.

“The first time I met Donovan was actually at a high school practice when I was recruiting,” Frost said. “I had heard his name before and knew where he was, but I am not sure how much interest I had. We started talking about what he believed in on the offensive line and the technique that he coached, and I got pretty interested pretty fast.

“There were again some unbelievable candidates and a couple that it really came down to that I think both would have done a great job. Really when I sat down and watched film with Donovan and watched what he was teaching and what was being done, I felt like it would make a big difference on our offensive line.

“Really impressed with his character, with his demeanor, and I think that is important with the offensive line we have and the relationship that I know he is going to have with the guys.”

Raiola didn’t say a lot during his first formal media session earlier this month, but one point he stressed time and again was the importance of holding his new group to “the standard” of what made a great offensive line.

He didn’t give many details on what all went into meeting that “standard,” but Raiola did list a few of the hallmarks it entailed.

“Toughness, the mentality that you have to play with, and being disciplined,” Raiola said. “The standard will always be the standard.”

Raiola inherits an offensive line that returns seven players with starting experience but arguably loses its most important piece with center Cam Jurgens jumping to the NFL Draft.

He had only been on campus for a few days when he spoke with reporters on Dec. 15, so it was still too early to give a thorough analysis of how close Nebraska’s returning offensive line was to reaching that level.

But Raiola didn’t need any more time to say there was plenty of work to do, because that was an answer that would never change.

“It’s definitely a process,” Raiola said. “We’re working on it, and just reminding them that everything we do, we do it together… Just helping them with the process and progression of understanding our fundamentals. It’s really simple but detailed at the same time. It’s going to be a process. I understand that, and we’re going to work through it together.”

Raiola described the style of play he wanted from his offensive lines simply as “attacking,” but Frost said there was much more to it that fit exactly what he was looking for up front.

“To me, what he coaches is really modern, and it is what I believe in,” Frost said. “He is going to get the guys ripping off the ball and running and trying to get people moved. It is a little different from what some other people coach.

“Again, it is what I believe in, and based on our personnel and the type of offense we run, I think it is the best thing for us. I think he is as good as a guy as there is to teach those things and what we want to get done.”