Nebraska QB Dylan Raiola to enter transfer portal: Oregon a potential suitor for former 5-star recruit

Nebraska quarterback Dylan Raiola plans to enter the transfer portal when it opens on January 2, sources told CBS Sports' Chris Hummer. 

Husker fans have been bracing for Raiola's possible departure for weeks. Raiola's brother, Dayton, decommitted from the Huskers at the end of November and Matt Rhule fired offensive line coach Donovan Raiola, Dylan's uncle, shortly after the season ended. 

Raiola was once a 5-star prospect coming out of high school, and in his time at Nebraska there were glimpses of the brilliant talent that earned him that rating. However, the consistency in production never quite matched up, and now we'll see how he's viewed around the country as he looks to find a new team for his junior season. 

Raiola was a starter at Nebraska from Day 1 as a true freshman, and in his two years in Lincoln he's started 22 games, completing 69.1% of his passes for 4,819 yards, 31 touchdowns and 17 interceptions. In nine games played in 2025 before suffering a season-ending broken fibula, Raiola showed improvement as a passer, bumping his completion percentage up to 72.4% and cutting down on turnovers with just six interceptions after 11 as a freshman. 

Now he will explore his options and figures to be among the most coveted quarterbacks on the transfer market, which will include other big names like Florida's DJ Lagway, Michigan State's Aidan Chiles, ECU's Katin Houser and Cincinnati's Brendan Sorsby, who all indicated their intention to enter the portal on Monday as well.

Raiola figures to be looking for somewhere he can raise his profile and seeking a supporting cast around him to help showcase his full talents on a contender. 

According to Chris Hummer, Oregon is a school expected to show interest in Raiola, which would certainly fit the bill as a place where he can contend and play with a strong supporting cast on offense. The Ducks will likely see Dante Moore head off to the NFL whenever their College Football Playoff run concludes, and Dan Lanning could bring Raiola in as the new starter in Eugene to try and keep Oregon rolling right along. 

Raiola would be a different archetype than we've seen in Lanning's tenure at Oregon. Bo Nix, Dillon Gabriel and Dante Moore have all had slighter frames but were tremendously accurate, allowing the Ducks to stay on schedule and get their playmakers the ball on time and in space. Raiola showed growth in that area with his jump in completion percentage this year at Nebraska, but he also possesses a big frame and strong arm that could provide Oregon with a different dynamic attacking down the field. 

We'll find out in January whether the Ducks do in fact end up landing Raiola or if he finds a different landing spot, but he figures to be among the most coveted targets for teams in need of a new starter. 

Nebraska, meanwhile, will have to shift their focus to finding a new quarterback after the Raiola era produced back-to-back 7-win seasons, but the Huskers never quite hit the heights they hoped to when he flipped to Rhule's program from being committed to Georgia.