Transfer Dylan Raiola Reveals Regrets From Nebraska Career

Over the 2026 offseason, the Oregon Ducks welcomed quarterback Dylan Raiola as he departed the Nebraska Cornhuskers via the NCAA Transfer Portal; a controversial choice as the Ducks' 2025 season starter, Dante Moore, announced he'd return for another year at Oregon shortly after Raiola's commitment.

Playing for the Cornhuskers for two seasons, Raiola consistently made headlines for comparisons to Kansas City Chiefs quarterback Patrick Mahomes, having a 69.1 percent passing game accuracy with a 13-9 record for his starts, and a broken right fibula ending his 2025 season prematurely.

Nov 1, 2025; Lincoln, Nebraska, USA; Nebraska Cornhuskers quarterback Dylan Raiola (15) is helped off the field after being injured against the Southern California Trojans during the third quarter at Memorial Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Dylan Widger-Imagn Images | Dylan Widger-Imagn Images

Dylan Raiola Shares Regrets From Nebraska Tenure

On Tuesday, in his first media appearance as an Oregon Duck, Raiola got real about his time with Nebraska. After confirming he's cleared from his previous injury and elaborating on his excitement to learn from Moore, Raiola admitted a few regrets from his previous home base of Lincoln, Nebraska.

"I'm very grateful for the time I had in Nebraska. I'm very grateful for the coaches, the people, and the fans, and everyone I came across, too. But like you said, you can't emulate game-speed reps. And I think there's a lot of instances of things that I could have did better to kind of have propel our team to win," Raiola said.

Oct 11, 2025; College Park, Maryland, USA; Nebraska Cornhuskers quarterback Dylan Raiola (15) looks to throw from the pocket during during the first half against the Maryland Terrapins at SECU Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Tommy Gilligan-Imagn Images | Tommy Gilligan-Imagn Images

Dylan Raiola Is Using His Nebraska Experiences as a Lesson Learned

Though the sophomore quarterback did give a mixed bag of experiences from his previous program, he also made sure to emphasize the value of those experiences and how they contribute to his current team.

"But, use all those experiences for learning and propel not only myself, but this team forward. And however I can present ideas to help Dante, or whoever in the room. I'm gonna do my best to be the best teammate that I can be," Raiola added.

Oregon coach Dan Lanning confirmed that Raiola's mentality when joining the Ducks lay solely in developing and helping a team while moving away from the headlines that plagued him with the Cornhuskers. According to Lanning, Raiola was willing to join the Ducks regardless of Moore's decision, as he was searching for a new chapter.

“And obviously, he wanted to be here before he knew if Dante was gonna be back or not, just knowing that if that was an option, that was gonna be an opportunity for him to be able to grow and accelerate. It's more about where he was going," Lanning said. "Now, ‘Hey, am I gonna be the guy that's up there first guy going, or am I gonna be a guy that's gonna have an opportunity to develop and learn?’ I think all those things were really appealing to him and his family.”

Sep 6, 2025; Lincoln, Nebraska, USA; Nebraska Cornhuskers quarterback Dylan Raiola (15) arrives with the team before a game against the Akron Zips at Memorial Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Dylan Widger-Imagn Images | Dylan Widger-Imagn Images

What Dylan Raiola Brings to the Table

While with the Cornhuskers, Raiola put in a total of 4,819 passing yards (2,000 yards or more both seasons), -152 rushing yards off 96 carries, 31 touchdowns, and 17 interceptions over two seasons.

For Raiola, starting fresh might be a great idea to depart from his past, with the Ducks gaining a particularly sweet upside in another developed quarterback prepared to back up and potentially ready to start the next season.

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