LINCOLN, Neb. — Dylan Raiola is leaving Nebraska. The two-year starting quarterback for the Huskers plans to enter the transfer portal when it opens in January, according to reports by ESPN and On3.
Raiola started 22 games at Nebraska before he suffered a broken right fibula last month against USC. He threw for 2,000 yards as a sophomore in 2025 on 181-of-250 passing (72.4 percent) with 18 touchdowns and six interceptions. In 2024, Raiola set Nebraska freshman records with 2,819 yards and a 67.1-percent completion rate.
He raised Nebraska’s profile in his two years at the school. The quarterback, a five-star recruit who flipped from Georgia to Nebraska in December 2023, factored heavily in the Huskers signing receivers Dane Key and Nyziah Hunter as transfers ahead of this season. At 6-foot-3 and 230 pounds with an NFL-caliber arm, Raiola figures to rate among the most coveted quarterbacks in the portal. He was the highest-paid player at Nebraska, via revenue sharing and NIL arrangements that include an Adidas deal.
His departure completes an exodus of Raiolas from Nebraska late this year. Coach Matt Rhule fired Dylan’s uncle, Donovan Raiola, as offensive line coach on Dec. 6. He was the lone holdover with the Huskers from the staff hired by former coach Scott Frost. Nebraska surrendered 30 sacks this season in 12 games, ranking 15th in the Big Ten.
Dylan Raiola’s brother, Dayton, a longtime pledge in Nebraska’s 2026 recruiting class out of Buford, Ga., decommitted on Nov. 19, two weeks before the signing date.
Dylan and Dayton are the sons of Dominic Raiola, a former All-America center at Nebraska who played 14 seasons for the Detroit Lions.
The Nebraska courtship of Dylan Raiola began in 2021, when he starred at a camp in Lincoln after his freshman season of high school in Texas. His star rose as a recruit as Raiola earned offers from the likes of Texas, USC and Alabama.
Raiola viewed the quarterbacks who played in the NFL with his father — Matthew Stafford, Jon Kitna, Dan Orlovsky and Drew Stanton — as mentors. The young quarterback also formed a bond with Patrick Mahomes, occasionally training alongside the NFL star. Raiola and Mahomes shared a trainer and a passing coach.
Raiola attended high school as a junior in Arizona and was considered for a time as the No. 1 prospect in the Class of 2024. Raiola committed to Ohio State in May 2022 and decommitted from the Buckeyes after Rhule was hired at Nebraska in December of that year. In May 2023, after Raiola and his family members visited Nebraska repeatedly over two years, he committed to Georgia.
But in December 2023, days before the signing period opened, he flipped to Nebraska, delivering to the Huskers their top-rated signee of the past 15 years. Raiola won the starting quarterback job during preseason camp in August 2024 and wowed Nebraska fans with a hot start to his career.
He threw for 238 yards and two touchdowns against UTEP in his debut and helped the Huskers beat Colorado a week later. Raiola encountered struggles as Nebraska lost five of six games in October and November of his freshman season.
Rhule brought in Dana Holgorsen to coordinate the offense amid the losing streak. And with Holgorsen at his side, Raiola threw for 293 yards as Nebraska beat Wisconsin 44-25 to snap a seven-year bowl drought.
As a sophomore, Raiola threw for 308 yards against Michigan in Week 4, but the Wolverines controlled the line of scrimmage in a 30-27 win. Raiola led a fourth-quarter comeback at Maryland and helped get Nebraska back to bowl eligibility in October.
The Huskers led USC 14-6 when Raiola was injured in the second half on Nov. 1. True freshman TJ Lateef replaced Raiola as USC rallied to win 21-17. Raiola underwent surgery to repair the fracture before Lateef directed a win at UCLA. Without Raiola, Nebraska struggled offensively in losses against Penn State and Iowa.
It is set to play in the Dec. 31 Las Vegas Bowl against Utah.
