EXCLUSIVE: 2026 QB Dayton Raiola Discusses Commitment to Nebraska Football

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The 2026 class of Nebraska football commits is off and rolling with a familiar family out in front.
Dayton Raiola, the brother of current Husker starting quarterback Dylan Raiola, has committed to Nebraska. Dayton is also a QB, playing for the same team his brother finished his high school career with in Buford, Georgia. The younger Raiola is 6-1 and 205 pounds, according to 247Sports. While Dylan is right-handed, Dayton is a southpaw.
THE LEGACY CONTINUES🌽🎈#OHANA #COMMITTED pic.twitter.com/Ti7yd4tOTU
— Dayton Raiola (@DaytonRaiola) September 22, 2024
Dayton announced his commitment Sunday evening and spoke with HuskerMax about the decision.
“I feel like I would be making a mistake if I didn’t go to Nebraska,” Raiola said. “On top of my brother and uncle being there, my sister works in recruiting there now, and my dad was an All-American there. The coaching staff at Nebraska really has shown me real love and I can feel it every time I go up there.”
Dylan has talked plenty about the importance of family, and Dayton feels much the same in choosing the Huskers.
“It is super important to me that I get to join my brother and uncle,” the younger Raiola said. ”There will be lifelong memories that I will remember forever. I mean how many times does somebody get to play with their brother on the same team, yet alone I get to do it twice?”
GO BIG RED! @CoachMattRhule @Coach_Satt @RaiolaDylan pic.twitter.com/uuS2nrlJFn
— Dayton Raiola (@DaytonRaiola) April 30, 2024
Raiola said NU essentially sent the house, with a number of coaches involved in his recruitment.
”I really feel like Uncle Donny (Donovan Raiola), coach (Marcus) Satterfield, coach (Matt) Rhule, coach (Glenn) Thomas, and coach (Garret) McGuire influenced it the most because every time they see me there are always big smiles on their faces and that means a lot to me,” Raiola said.
Peer recruiting becomes the name of the game for Raiola, just like it was for his older brother less than a year ago.
“I do have a couple of players in mind and anybody else the coaches want me to hit up I will do for sure,” Raiola said.
WHAT A THROW, WHAT A CATCH‼️‼️
— SportsCenter NEXT (@SCNext) September 14, 2024
Dayton Raiola with a DIME to Louisville commit Jordan Allen as Buford begins to pull away here in Douglasville.
Buford 31, Douglas County 14 pic.twitter.com/A9C8rLR9Tz
While some prospects make their commitment but continue to go on visits, leaving the door cracked, Raiola says Nebraska has him locked down.
“I am 100% locked in and committed to Big Red Nation, no questions asked,” Raiola said.
As for a message to Husker Nation, the newest Nebraska football commit promised to take himself, and his brother, to the next level.
“Husker fans, we got the band back together,” Raiola said. ”Me and Dylan will push each other every day to the best of our abilities and we will have fun doing it! GBR!”
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Caleb Sisk is a talented sports journalist from the state of Georgia. Originally from Chattanooga, Tennessee, Sisk's passion for sports grew. Bringing years of recruiting coverage experience, he has been named a National Recruiting Reporter and covers various college sites on the On SI network. He takes pride in covering recruiting and has been featured by numerous companies for his excellent coverage and knowledge. He has also spent time at other companies, including Rivals, where he covered the Tennessee Volunteers.