Dylan Raiola's Five-Star Ranking Questioned Before Oregon Career

The Oregon Ducks boast several five-stars from the high school recruit class of 2024, with a new breakdown claiming all three have yet to live up to their college career expectations.

Nov 28, 2025; Lincoln, Nebraska, USA; Nebraska Cornhuskers quarterback Dylan Raiola (15) greets the team as the walk into the stadium before the game against the Iowa Hawkeyes at Memorial Stadium. | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

Entering the 2026 season, the Oregon Ducks have several players with decorated resumes ranging back to their high school years, but how many of them are living up to their original recruit ranking?

According to a recent breakdown, three Oregon Ducks who were once five-star high school recruits may be under-delivering, including Nebraska Cornhuskers transfer quarterback Dylan Raiola.

Fighting Ducks quarterback Dylan Raiola throws a pass during the Oregon Ducks annual spring game on April 25, 2026 at Autzen Stadium in Eugene, Oregon. | USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect

Dylan Raiola's Five-Star High School Rating Debated

In a recent article from CBS Sports' Cooper Petagna, he posits that Raiola's five-star rating from 2024 may be in question with Raiola's move to the Ducks to become a mentee under starter Dante Moore may be his route to success (with the emphasis that it's the same avenue Moore took with now Cleveland Brown Dillon Gabriel).

"A route less traveled, but one exemplified by Moore himself, Raiola will look to capitalize on a year to learn a new scheme while surrounding himself with a quarterback-friendly roster in what is presumed to be his offense in 2027," Petagna wrote.

Fighting Ducks quarterback Dylan Raiola, left, hands off the ball to Fighting Ducks running back Dierre Hill Jr. during the Oregon Ducks annual spring game on April 25, 2026 at Autzen Stadium in Eugene, Oregon. | USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect

Dylan Raiola's Development Over Time

Raiola's 2025 season was cut dramatically short with the Cornhuskers after suffering an injury against USC, leaving him with only 2,000 yards and 18 touchdowns in the passing game compared to the 2,819 yards and 13 touchdowns of the 2024 season (keep in mind, Nebraska had two offensive coordinators during the 2024 season).

In 2025, Raiola was on a path to surpass his previous season's statistics, and showed sharpened decision making in the pocket in terms of target selection as he continued to work on honing his accuracy with deep passes. The consistency Raiola brought to the Cornhusker's offense despite a consistently flaky offensive line was a welcome change for a program that had faced quite a bit of upheaval in the past five years.

During Oregon's spring game, Raiola also made a splashy showing as one of the bright spots for the scrimmage, with a 76-yard touchdown pass to wide receiver Evan Stewart in the first half (speaking of that deep connection accuracy he's been working on).

With Moore developing into a sure-fire starter and potential Heisman Trophy candidate after his back-up year with Gabriel, there's a once proven blueprint for how Raiola hopes his tenure with Oregon will go.

Oregon fans fill Autzen Stadium in a stripe pattern as the Oregon Ducks host the Montana State Bobcats on Aug. 30, 2025, at Autzen Stadium in Eugene, Oregon. | USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect

Gatlin Bair and Elijah Rushing

Ducks receiver Gatlin Bair and defensive lineman Elijah Rushing were also re-examined by CBS Sports with their five-star high school ratings being "in question." Bair is set to make his Oregon debut in the coming fall, and Rushing looks to become a mainstay in the Ducks' defensive line rotation.

Bair, who made headlines after receiving one of the highest speed ratings in the recent EA Sports College Football 2027 video game, has arrived in Eugene after spending two years on an LDS Church mission. Though the CBS article does point to Bair needing to shake off some rust, the current Oregon target rotation is also pretty stacked.

With the return of proven talent like senior wide receiver Evan Stewart, sophomore wide receiver Dakorien Moore, sophomore Jeremiah McClellan, plus sophomore tight end Jamari Johnson, there's at least four sure-fire pieces already at the top of the depth chart (and that's without including running backs like sophomore Dierre Hill Jr.). For Bair to crack into this group, he's got to bring something special, and if the whispers about his talent from spring ball continue into fall camp, there may be a chance.

On the other side is Rushing. The highly-touted recruit from Arizona appeared in four games as a true freshman and took a redshirt before punching in three tackles during the 2025 season. Granted, Rushing is behind one of the most talented defensive lines in the nation with many returning for their final years with the Ducks in 2026, but there's also several young faces in the secondary getting decent numbers.

Time will tell if any of these three once-five-star athletes are able to play their way back into analyst favor, but at least this re-evaluation stands as a testament that a high ranking out of high school only gets an athlete in the door for a college career, with a following performance determining the rest.

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