Dylan Raiola Reveals Conversation With Marcus Mariota for Oregon Jersey Number

Oregon Ducks transfer quarterback Dylan Raiola will be wearing No. 8 with the Ducks, but the former Nebraska Cornhuskers star recently revealed how his new jersey number came to be.

Add us as a preferred source on Google

Dylan Raiola Calls Marcus Mariota

In the first episode of "Meet the Flock" released by the Oregon media team, Raiola explained that he actually called former Ducks quarterbacks Dillon Gabriel and Marcus Mariota to ask for their blessings to wear the No. 8 jersey with Oregon.

oregon ducks dylan raiola marcus mariota jersey number request heisman trophy hawaiian islands dan lanning dillon gabriel — Oregon quarterback Marcus Mariota throws during the second quarter of the Oregon game against Colorado at Autzen Stadium in Eugene on Saturday, November 22, 2014. | Andy Nelson / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

While Oregon does not officially retire jersey numbers, the No. 8 was made legendary by Mariota, the Ducks' first and only winner of the Heisman Trophy. As a result, the jersey number is viewed with a certain reverence at Oregon, especially for athletes from Hawaii that grew up idolizing Mariota.

"I'm from Hawaii. I lived there about nine years. Nine or 10 years, so I call that home. I always go back there and visit. The last two people if you look at it wore (No. 8) was Dillon Gabriel and Marcus Mariota, so before I even thought about wearing it, I called Dillon, and I asked him. And then I actually asked him if I could have Marcus's number, and I called Marcus and I was blessed with the opportunity to wear it," said Raiola.

Meet the Flock

Episode 1 - Quarterbacks#GoDucks pic.twitter.com/1rINp59lFK
— Oregon Football (@oregonfootball) March 21, 2026

The story from the Oregon transfer sounds awfully familiar to Gabriel's experience before he wore the No. 8 jersey with the Ducks. As a fellow transfer quarterback himself, Gabriel asked for Mariota's blessing to wear his number after arriving in Eugene.

Dylan Raiola and Dillon Gabriel's Shared Experience

During an interview with Will Compton, former NFL player and co-host of the "Bussin' With The Boys" podcast, Gabriel explained that he initially wasn't even considering wearing Mariota's number with the Ducks.

“I think it was just more of a respect coming from the islands, he’s the guy we kind of looked up to, and he kind of set the stage for all the quarterbacks coming up. Not only quarterbacks, players in general. I wore No. 8 at Oklahoma, but once I came here, I kind of told coach, I was like, ‘Hey, out of respect I’ll probably wear a new number,’ or something like that," Gabriel told Compton.

“I don’t know, I just kind of rethought it because coach Lanning said something cool about how special that would be. Then, I texted [Mariota] and then next thing you know, I just said ‘Hey, can I wear it?’ I wanted to get his ‘Okay,’ and then once I did, it’s special," Gabriel continued.

Clearly, Mariota's jersey number has been treated with reverance, and rightfully so. Raiola has carried it on by asking for not only Mariota's blessing but also Gabriel's.

While he did not win the award, Gabriel was a finalist for the Heisman Trophy after his lone season with the Ducks, leading Oregon to an undefeated regular season and the No. 1 seed in the College Football Playoff.

Can Raiola continue the success of Oregon quarterbacks wearing No. 8?