Quarterback Names to Watch as Nebraska Looks to the Transfer Portal

Dylan Raiola's impending exit has created a mix of challenges and opportunities for the Huskers. Jeremy Pernell examines Nebraska's options in navigating the situation.

Aidan Chiles ran for a pair of touchdowns against Nebraska in early October. Could he be a Husker in 2025? | Kylie Graham-Imagn Images

Dylan Raiola made national headlines and shocked everyone — including Georgia coaches — when he backed off his commitment to the Bulldogs a week ahead of the early signing period and joined Nebraska football's recruiting class in December 2023.

Since then, I'd written several times about what that marriage meant for both sides. I always believed Raiola was committed to giving head coach Matt Rhule two years before he reassessed his situation prior to his junior season. Raiola is an NFL talent and his top priority — along with playing for a contender — is to get developed and put in position to be drafted high.

After weeks of speculation, on Dec. 15, Raiola ended the suspense by declaring his intention to enter the transfer portal when it officially opens on Jan. 2.

Rumblings of his departure began when his brother Dayton decommitted from Nebraska's 2026 recruiting class on Nov. 19 after having been committed to the Huskers since September 2024. Although there were optimistic local journalists who thought Dylan would return in 2026, the writing seemed to be on the wall after Rhule fired the quarterback's uncle Donovan as Nebraska's offensive line coach on Dec. 6.

The union lasted nearly two years to the day. Rewind to Dec. 18, 2023, when Raiola officially flipped to the Huskers. Nebraska's coaches had been actively targeting several options in the transfer portal as they searched for a new quarterback after badly misevaluating Georgia Tech's Jeff Sims a year earlier.

Former Ohio State quarterback Kyle McCord spent the 2024 season at Syracuse instead of Nebraska after Dylan Raiola's eleventh-hour commitment to Matt Rhule's Huskers. | D. Ross Cameron-Imagn Images

Husker coaches had already met with Kyle McCord (Ohio State), Sam Leavitt (Michigan State), Cam Ward (Washington State), Will Howard (Kansas State) and Blake Shapen (Baylor) at that point. Nebraska quickly narrowed its focus on Kyle McCord, who had earned third-team All-Big Ten honors after leading the Buckeyes to an 11-1 regular-season record as a first-time starter.

As fate would have it, McCord was in Lincoln on Dec. 18, and the two sides had essentially come to an agreement on McCord transferring to Nebraska. When Raiola agreed to flip from Georgia, there was an understanding that he would be the face of the program from Day 1. He didn't want to sit, which was the plan for him at Georgia.

The Huskers subsequently backed off from McCord, who ended up transferring to Syracuse. McCord was named second-team All-ACC in 2024 after leading the nation in passing and was selected in the sixth round of the 2025 NFL Draft by the Philadelphia Eagles.

It will go down as one of those famous "what if" moments. What if Nebraska had been afforded the luxury of redshirting Raiola for a year behind McCord? A strong argument can be made that both Nebraska and Raiola would have been better off for it. Raiola could have developed for a year behind the scenes and learned from a talented senior while avoiding the gigantic expectations that accompanied him. Ironically, Raiola would most likely still be on the roster today.

But that's not reality. Instead, Raiola was given a huge NIL deal — believed to be around $2 million — to be the face of the program as an 18-year-old freshman. Raiola had moments of brilliance early on, before a prolonged stretch of struggles prompted Rhule to bring in Dana Holgorsen to get the Husker offense — and Raiola's career — back on track.

Dylan Raiola's deep-ball accuracy remained an issue during his sophomore season. | Kenny Larabee, KLIN

Last offseason, Dylan's inner circle gauged interest from potential suitors in the transfer portal and received heavy interest from numerous schools, including Auburn, Miami and Texas A&M. As a result, Nebraska increased his NIL package to a reported $3.5 million to keep him around for his sophomore season.

Raiola took steps this season, but he continued to showcase flaws that many had expected to be ironed out. His decision-making wasn't decisive. He struggled with intermediate passes in the middle of the field. His deep-ball accuracy remained inconsistent.

Ultimately, I think the decision to move on was mutual. I don't think Nebraska forced Raiola out by any means, but with money being such a big factor, there were probably some candid discussions between Rhule and Dylan. I find it odd — or telling — that Raiola never tweeted out the obligatory thank you to his teammates and coaches for his time at Nebraska. It's especially peculiar as a legacy.

Let's be honest, though. Did Nebraska get the sort of return on investment from Raiola that warranted making him one of the most highly compensated quarterbacks in the country? Is Nebraska's roster at the point where the program can allocate that large a percentage of its revenue-sharing/NIL pool to any QB?

I think Nebraska may have decided it could use that money to bolster the rest of the roster and find a suitable replacement for Raiola and be a better team. Nebraska wasn't caught off-guard by Raiola's decision. As a contingency plan, the staff had already been evaluating quarterbacks who are/were expected to enter the portal.

The silver lining in all this could be the opportunity Dana Holgorsen now has of finding someone who fits his offense moving forward and not having to adjust it around the skillset of someone he inherited.

Any quarterback Nebraska gets from the portal this cycle is likely to have a price tag that's far less than that of Dylan Raiola. | Kylie Graham-Imagn Images

Rhule has already told us what the staff will be looking for in potential additions. During his Dec. 19 press conference, Rhule said Nebraska would look at “mobile quarterbacks” with “above-average” mobility, adding that “at the end of the day, I want playmakers.” As Nebraska's coaches and scouting department evaluate potential signal-callers in the portal, the ability to stress a defense with their legs is an attribute they will target moving forward.

Raiola's transfer had already precipitated the need for an overhaul to the quarterback room, but a thin position group got downright bare when Marcos Davila announced on Dec. 2 that he would re-enter the transfer portal after spending the 2025 season with the Huskers. Davila signed with Purdue as part of the 2024 class and was with the Boilermakers during his freshman season.

With the profile of what Nebraska wants at the QB spot coming into focus, it didn't come as a surprise. Davila was being recruited over and didn't have a realistic path to ever being Nebraska's QB1.

With only one scholarship QB set to return, not only do the coaches need to find an established veteran to challenge TJ Lateef as the starter, but they also need to add a depth piece to the room. That could still come from the 2026 class with another signing day coming in February. The staff won't take someone just to take someone, but they'll monitor some guys they like at places where there's been coaching turnover to see if someone is open to changing his mind.

More likely is that they'll need to find a younger player in the portal who they can sell the opportunity to compete and get developed for a year and have the option to look for another school next offseason if they don't like their situation heading into 2027. Some names who would fit that role are Dylan Lonergan (Boston College), Bryce Baker (North Carolina), Antwann Hill (Memphis), Jake Merklinger (Tennessee), Luke Kromenhoek (Mississippi State), Ju'Juan Johnson (LSU), Alex Manske (Iowa State), Jadyn Davis (Michigan), Colin Hurley (LSU), Zane Flores (Oklahoma State), Stone Saunders (Kentucky) and Arrington Maiden (Memphis).

I could also see taking a run at some lower-level guys like Mason McKenzie (Saginaw Valley State), Landen Clark (Elon), Amari Odom (Kennesaw State) and Marcus Stokes (West Florida). Much like the youngsters I listed above, I wouldn't bring any of these guys in with the expectation they could beat out Lateef or be your QB1, but if they don't find a more advantageous landing spot, they'd be nice additions to the room.

The top priority is bringing in someone who can be your QB1. That's going to be a delicate situation for Husker coaches. Nebraska needs to look at any potential additions through a couple different lenses. The obvious one is whether or not they're an upgrade over the version of Lateef you'd have in 2026. They also have to look at it through the reality of whether the new guy is worth possibly losing Lateef to the portal because of their presence on the roster.

Is Lateef willing to stick around for another year if Nebraska brings in someone he can't beat out in an open competition? If the writing's on the wall that he's not going to be the guy next year, can the coaches sell him on a scenario where he can utilize his redshirt in 2026 and lean into a year of development under Dana Holgorsen and Glenn Thomas with an eye on earning the job in 2027?

Bringing in a potential QB1 for 2026 could affect how TJ Lateef views his future at Nebraska. He took over at quarterback after Dylan Raiola's suffered a broken leg in early November. | Gary A. Vasquez-Imagn Images

When asked about the possibility of Nebraska bringing in a transfer quarterback to compete with him for the 2026 season, Lateef gave the answer you want to hear. “I’m not worried about it, and if that happens, that’s fine with me. … I like to compete regardless,” Lateef told reporters during a Dec. 19 media availability.

Take that for what it's worth, but we know Rhule and his staff are very transparent with their players and that helps in a situation like this. Everyone needs to be on the same page and feel like they are being taken care of regardless. Nebraska also needs to make sure they have a plan B in case things don't go the way they expect — even if all parties seem to be in agreement today.

Not only does Nebraska need to be on the same page with Lateef, but they need to be cognizant of how it affects heralded 2027 commit Trae Taylor. The five-star talent is the future of the position. Is Taylor okay with redshirting as a true freshman? Has the staff already recruited Taylor with the agreed-upon plan of redshirting him?

There's a reason Raiola was such an anomaly; the vast majority of quarterbacks redshirt as freshmen regardless of how high they were ranked. The analytics show that the benefits of sitting for a year far outweigh playing immediately. If Taylor is on board with waiting until 2028 to seriously compete for the starting job — whether that's against Lateef or a transfer — this offseason can go much smoother.

What approach will Nebraska take in finding their big fish this offseason? Do they prioritize someone with multiple seasons of eligibility remaining who could conceivably come back in 2027? Do they target a one-year fix to give Lateef another year of behind-the-scenes growth before handing him the reins in 2027?

Who does Nebraska have a serious chance at landing in January?

Unless something completely unforeseen happens, Nebraska's not an option for Brendan Sorsby, Sam Leavitt, DJ Lagway, Byrum Brown, Josh Hoover or Rocco Becht. All of those guys are expected to follow their respective coaches to their new schools or are priority targets for schools in better situations heading into 2026.

Old Dominion's Colton Joseph rushed for over 1,000 yards this season, including 179 yards against Indiana. | Rich Janzaruk/Herald-Times / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

I expect Nebraska to take a hard look at Kenny Minchey (Notre Dame), Katin Houser (East Carolina), Drew Mestemaker (North Texas) and CJ Bailey (NC State), but as of today, the top target seems to be Michigan State's Aidan Chiles, who is expected to visit Lincoln next weekend. Chiles has played in 30 career games with 20 starts in the Big Ten under his belt. He's been up and down throughout his career, but when he's on, Chiles can be one of the better dual-threat quarterbacks in the country. The inconsistency is a concern, though, with the senior-to-be.

Someone I really like is Old Dominion's Colton Joseph, who will have two years of eligibility at his next stop. After receiving All-Sun Belt honorable-mention recognition last season, Joseph blew up as a redshirt sophomore in 2025. Joseph was second-team All-Sun Belt and was named Sun-Belt Conference Offensive Player of the Year after starting 12 games for the Monarchs this season. He threw for 2,624 yards with 21 touchdowns and 10 interceptions, while also rushing for 1,007 yards and 13 more touchdowns.

Joseph led Old Dominion to just its third winning season since moving up to the FBS ranks in 2013. Under his guidance, ODU ranked 16th nationally in total offense (460.8 ypg), while Joseph personally ranked second in the nation with 15.17 yards per completion, eighth in total offense (302.6 ypg) and 25th with a 152.7 pass efficiency rating.

I also really like Alonza Barnett III out of James Madison. Several schools had been keeping an eye on his situation ever since Bob Chesney was hired by UCLA. On Dec. 22, Nico Iamaleava announced he had re-signed with the Bruins, which means Barnett — who announced he was entering the transfer portal yesterday — will be a popular target.

Barnett has played in 29 games for JMU (26 starts) and was All-Sun Belt honorable mention as a sophomore last season. This year he was named first-team all-conference and Sun Belt Conference Player of the Year after throwing for 2,806 yards with 23 touchdowns and eight interceptions, while also rushing for 589 yards and 15 touchdowns.

James Madison quarterback Alonza Barnett III prepares to throw during the Dukes' College Football Playoff game last week against Oregon. | Troy Wayrynen-Imagn Images

The Husker staff knows how important the 2026 season is for keeping momentum going as a building program. With such a daunting schedule, can the coaches afford to take a shot at someone from the FCS, even if the guy has been prolific?

Could Nebraska go after someone like Taron Dickens from Western Carolina? Dickens, who will be a redshirt junior, was named first-team All-Southern Conference and the SoCon Offensive Player of the Year. He completed 271-of-365 passes (74.2%) for 3,508 yards with 38 touchdowns and only two interceptions. He also gained 321 yards and scored a touchdown on the ground.

Although he hasn't entered his name as of today, will Youngstown State's Beau Brunguard consider a jump for his final season? Brunguard is a two-time first-team All-MVFC selection and was named Offensive Player of the Year this past season after completing 277-of-403 passes (68.7%) for 3,230 yards with 26 touchdowns and only three interceptions. He also gained 1,468 yards on the ground with 27 rushing touchdowns.

This is an instrumental offseason for Nebraska. This team needs a serious influx of talent from the portal and they need the underclassmen who currently comprise the majority of this roster to step up and take on larger roles. If not, they're going to struggle to get to bowl eligibility next season. Getting the quarterback position right is step 1.

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