Where Does Nebraska’s Dylan Raiola Rank Among Nation’s 136 Starting QBs?

The headline in The Athletic was thought-provoking and sure to inspire conversations.

The headline: “College football 2025 quarterback tiers: Ranking the FBS’ projected starters from 1 to 136”

Where was Nebraska’s Dylan Raiola? What ranking? What tier? Where was the true sophomore placed, and did we agree?

This is the criteria The Athletic used (lightly edited): We surveyed more than 40 coaches and staffers from across college football, soliciting opinions on the QBs they faced, how the QBs in their conference stack up and who the best in the country are. The rankings and tiers are based on a combination of coaches’ perspectives, the players’ physical abilities and traits, career accomplishments to date and a projection of 2025.

Raiola was ranked No. 40, in Tier 4. The Athletic’s definition of Tier 4: “Some are young, unproven starters with high potential; others are veterans who have flashed great talent but hit performance or injury speed bumps somewhere along the way.”

After poring over The Athletic’s rankings, No. 40 seems a bit low. We think Nos. 32-35 is more accurate. If Raiola played with more consistency, his ranking would be considerably higher. Maybe in the Nos. 18-22 range. Raiola was a five-star talent when he arrived at Nebraska. The Huskers hope there is no sophomore slump but rather that he blossoms into fulfilling the expectations that are part of the package of a talented athlete.

The Athletic’s Sam Khan Jr. and Antonio Morales wrote about Raiola: “Raiola looked every bit of a five-star prospect last September but hit a wall midway through his true freshman season. The hope is he’ll make a jump with Dana Holgorsen fully in charge of the offense now.”

“Has a calmness, maturity, and swagger to him which you want out of your QB,” a Big Ten personnel staffer said. “Think him continuing to get bigger, faster, stronger and leaner in the offseason can take his game to another level.”

“Raiola didn’t display top-end athleticism last year, though, which has left some in the sport wondering how high his ceiling actually is,” The Athletic concluded.

Raiola's true measurement is where he will rank going into his junior season. Better? Worse? Stagnant? Raiola's ranking going into 2026 will tell you plenty about the Huskers' 2025 season and what to expect in 2026.

Rankings for Huskers’ opponents

Raiola ranks fifth among the quarterbacks the Huskers will face in 2025.

1. Drew Allar, Penn State: 6 (Tier 1)
2. Nico Iamaleava, UCLA: 19 (Tier 3)
3. Brendan Sorsby, Cincinnati: 20 (Tier 3)
4. Mark Gronowski, Iowa: 39 (Tier 4)
5. Dylan Raiola, Nebraska: 40 (Tier 4)
6. Aiden Chiles, Michigan State: 44 (Tier 4)
7. Preston Stone, Northwestern: 45 (Tier 4)
8. Bryce Underwood, Michigan: 50 (Tier 4)
9. Jordan Maiava, USC: 54 (Tier 4)
10. Ben Finley, Akron: 77 (Tier 5)
11. Drake Lindsey, Minnesota: 89 (Tier 6)
12. Justyn Martin, Maryland: 90 (Tier 6)

Some surprises: Iamaleava and Gronowski are new transfers who rank above Raiola. Gronowski transferred to Iowa from FCS South Dakota State. Underwood is ranked 50th and has never played a college game. High expectations surround Allar, but 34 spots above Raiola?

In what might be a warning for Huskers fans: The season-opening opponent, Cincinnati, features 20th-ranked quarterback Brendan Sorsby.

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