Dan Lanning’s Comments on Dylan Raiola’s Confidence Speak Volumes

The No. 16 Oregon Ducks have witnessed a surge of consistency behind center. Quarterback Dylan Raiola switched from a struggling midseason starter to helping keep Oregon's College Football Playoff hopes alive.

Raiola just delivered his biggest win of his young Oregon career, guiding the Ducks to the 41-28 rout of previous 10th-ranked Ohio State. Suddenly, the narrative has changed once again for Oregon following three regular-season losses. Raiola is now leading a team still presented with a chance to sneak into the 12-team playoff field.

Coach Dan Lanning got honest about what he's seen now out of the former Nebraska five-star signing.

Dan Lanning Shines Light on Dylan Raiola's Confidence

Oregon Ducks Dan Lanning Dylan Raiola Ohio State Buckeyes College Football Playoff Big Ten Conference Pat McAfee Michigan — Oregon head coach Dan Lanning, left, talks to Oregon quarterback Dylan Raiola before a touchdown play as the Oregon Ducks face the Ohio State Buckeyes on Nov. 7, 2026, at Ohio Stadium in Columbus, Ohio. | USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect

Lanning appeared on the Nov. 10 edition of "The Pat McAfee Show" to shine a light on this current version of Raiola. He acknowledged that a spark was needed on the offensive side amid his struggles, hence how offensive coordinator Drew Mehringer got fired and Jay Johnson became elevated to interim play-caller. Except Lanning still wanted to work with Raiola, as he explained to McAfee.

"He's always been a great processor," Lanning said. "And he operated unbelievably when he has great confidence."

"Dylan Raiola had a lot of confidence going into that Ohio State game..

Jay Johnson and the offensive staff have been doing an unbelievable job" ~ @CoachDanLanning #PMSLive pic.twitter.com/6QQVQrAZLR
— Pat McAfee (@PatMcAfeeShow) November 10, 2026

Lanning then added the true mindset Raiola had leading into the hostile environment known as The Horseshoe, annually one of the hardest places to play in amid the loud crowd noise and OSU's history of success there.

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"He had a lot of confidence going into that game," Lanning said. "We presented a lot of different looks. And as the game went on, he built more confidence because of what we were able to build and how we would attack."

Lanning also credited Johnson and the offensive staff's role in unleashing Raiola, adding, "Sometimes you're as good of a coach as the players you get to coach. We have some good players we get to coach here, and Jay has done an outstanding job with the talent we have."

Dylan Raiola Poise on Display Since Coordinator Move

Oregon Ducks Dylan Raiola Ohio State Buckeyes College Football Playoff Dan Lanning Drew Mehringer Jay Johnson Big Ten — Oregon quarterback Dylan Raiola throws out a pass as the Oregon Ducks face the Ohio State Buckeyes on Nov. 7, 2026, at Ohio Stadium in Columbus, Ohio. | USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect

Few college quarterbacks have delivered quite the ascension like Raiola has. He's looked vastly different compared to the quarterback who threw for only 43 yards and got picked off twice against UCLA back on Oct. 10.

Raiola's spark clearly began during the final scoring drive against his former team the Cornhuskers on Oct. 17, leading the final scoring drive in that 17-14 home win. His numbers jumped since then.

Dylan Raiola Oregon Ducks Ohio State Buckeyes College Football Playoff Nebraska Cornhuskers Big Ten Conference Jay Johnson — Nov 7, 2026; Columbus, Ohio, USA; Oregon Ducks quarterback Dylan Raiola (8) drops to throw during the first quarter against the Ohio State Buckeyes at Ohio Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Joseph Maiorana-Imagn Images | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

Raiola last completed 31.1 percent of his throws against the still undefeated Bruins. Then he hit 61.1 percent versus Nebraska. But Raiola's completion percentage has now stayed above 62.5 since the win over the Cornhuskers and rose to 71 percent in Johnson's first game calling the offense against Northwestern on Halloween.

Raiola hasn't thrown a pick since that rough 17-15 home loss to UCLA. He shredded a previously ranked Wildcats team with three touchdowns. He then went after a stacked Buckeyes defense, even comfortably throwing this lob to wide receiver Dakorien Moore when Raiola saw the one-on-one.

Johnson and the offensive coaches have unlocked new ways to keep Raiola's poise strong. A confident Raiola behind center has now helped re-galvanize the Ducks. And this version of Raiola has Oregon and its fans still thinking about a playoff berth once again.

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