Dylan Raiola Speaks Candidly About Injury Recovery Before Oregon's Fall Camp

Oregon quarterback Dylan Raiola made waves across the college football landscape with his decision to transfer to the Ducks' program, taking himself out of the spotlight for a season with fellow Oregon quarterback Dante Moore deciding to forgo the 2026 NFL Draft.

Dylan Raiola Injury Update

After a high-profile recruitment, Raiola started his career with the Nebraksa Cornhuskers and immediately saw the field, starting 13 games as a true freshman. He arrived in Eugene after his sophomore season ended with a broken ankle, but Raiola says he feels better than before the injury.

oregon ducks nebraska cornhuskers dylan raiola transfer portal injury update broken ankle leg dan lanning dante moore — 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

When asked about Moore's comments on the Nebraska transfer getting faster in the offseason, Raiola opened up about his recovery.

"Yeah, that's true. I kind of did everything this off season. Changed my body around, speed. You know, I feel I feel better than I did before when I was healthy without my ankle," Raiola said.

While Raiola certainly has time to recover from his injury as he expects to sit behind Moore, Ducks fans will be glad to hear that Oregon's newest quarterback is healthy to participate in practice and can fulfill his duties as a backup quarterback if ever needed.

The best case scenario for Oregon is likely keeping Raiola off the field besides late in games, but the sooner the former Nebraska star can get acclimated to the Ducks' offense the better. He brings experience to the table, and a season on the sidelines could help slow the game down even more for Raiola.

Before his injury, Raiola was completing 72.4 percent of his passes with 2,000 passing yards and 18 touchdowns in 9 games. He threw 6 interceptions while averaging 8.0 yards gained per pass attempt before his season ended prematurely.

Dylan Raiola's Long and Winding Road to Eugene

Raiola revealed when he first became aware of the Ducks during Oregon's media day on Monday. To little surprise, a program legend in Marcus Mariota is primarily responsible:

"Probably nine years old. Famous guy named Marcus Mariota played quarterback here, and just growing up on the island, and then watching him his career go from St. Louis to Oregon, doing what he did here, and then what he's still doing in the league," Raiola said. "That's when my attention was first drawn here, and then in high school, you know, they recruited me, and I loved it. God had different plans, but I know everything happens for a reason. He tied it all in and brought me back here."

Raiola is the latest high-profile quarterback to join Oregon through the transfer portal, following in the footsteps of Bo Nix, Dillon Gabriel, and Dante Moore. Nix and Gabriel both started right away in Eugene, and both are currently in the NFL.

Moore took a similar route to Raiola, sitting behind Gabriel for a season, and the Ducks' current starting quarterback is expected to be a top prospect when the 2027 NFL Draft rolls around.

The future awaits Raiola, but he is already included in the rather rich tradition of quarterback play at Oregon, dating back to Nix and even earlier with signal callers like Mariota and Justin Herbert in recent memory.

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