Nebraska quarterback Dylan Raiola expected to enter transfer portal: reports

LINCOLN, Neb. — Dylan Raiola, Nebraska’s two-year starting quarterback, plans to enter the transfer portal when it opens in January, according to reports from ESPN and On3.

Raiola briefly acknowledged the reports in a social media post before deleting it. He did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

Raiola started 22 games at Nebraska before suffering a fractured right fibula last month against USC. He threw for 2,000 yards as a sophomore in 2025 on 181-of-250 passes (72.4%) with 18 touchdowns and six interceptions. In 2024, Raiola set Nebraska freshman records with 2,819 yards and a 67.1% completion rate.

He raised Nebraska’s profile during his two years at the school. The quarterback, a five-star recruit who moved from Georgia to Nebraska in December 2023, heavily factored into the Huskers signing receivers Dane Key and Nyziah Hunter in transfers before this season. At 6-foot-3 and 230 pounds with an NFL-caliber arm, Raiola is among the most coveted quarterbacks in the portal. He was Nebraska’s highest-paid player, via revenue sharing and NIL deals that include a deal with Adidas.

His departure completes the Raiolas’ exodus from Nebraska at the end of this year. Coach Matt Rhule fired Dylan’s uncle, Donovan Raiola, as offensive line coach on December 6. He was the only Huskers survivor from the staff hired by former coach Scott Frost. Nebraska has surrendered 30 sacks this season in 12 games, ranking 15th in the Big Ten.

Dylan Raiola’s brother Dayton, a long-time commit to 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 from Nebraska who played 14 seasons for the Detroit Lions.

Dylan Raiola’s attendance at Nebraska began in 2021, when he played camp at Lincoln following his freshman high school season at Texas. His star became a recruit as Raiola received offers from Texas, USC and Alabama.

Raiola considered the quarterbacks who played in the NFL with his father – Matthew Stafford, Jon Kitna, Dan Orlovsky and Drew Stanton – as mentors. The young quarterback has also bonded with Patrick Mahomes, occasionally training alongside the NFL star. Raiola and Mahomes shared a passing coach and coach.

Raiola attended high school as a junior in Arizona and was considered the No. 1 prospect in the class of 2024 for a time. 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 several times for two years, he committed to Georgia.

But in December 2023, days before the signing period opened, he visited Nebraska, giving the Huskers their best signee in the last 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 struggled as Nebraska lost five of six games in October and November of his first season.

Rhule brought in Dana Holgorsen to coordinate the offense amid the losing streak. And with Holgorsen alongside him, Raiola threw for 293 yards as Nebraska beat Wisconsin 44-25 to end a seven-year 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 victory. Raiola led a fourth-quarter comeback at Maryland and helped Nebraska return to bowl eligibility in October.

The Huskers led USC 14-6 when Raiola was injured in the second half on November 1. True freshman TJ Lateef replaced Raiola as USC rallied to win 21-17. Raiola underwent surgery to repair her fracture before Lateef earned a win at UCLA. Without Raiola, Nebraska struggled offensively in losses to Penn State and Iowa.

He is scheduled to play Dec. 31 in the Las Vegas Bowl against Utah.