Dylan Raiola transferred from Nebraska to Oregon, and when Dante Moore chose to return to the Ducks, it created an odd situation.
But everyone settled on the same take: Raiola would sit behind Moore for a year, learn the Oregon system under head coach Dan Lanning, and take over as the starter in 2027.
If all went well, the former top QB recruit in his class would have traveled a path from two years at Nebraska to two years at Oregon straight into the NFL.
That path has appeared to come to a bumpy part in the road, though, that no one saw coming.
Not only is Moore out for the year after a head injury, but the Ducks also have spent time playing QB3 Brock Thomas over Raiola, with the two bouncing back and forth.
On the field, Raiola hasn’t been consistently good enough since Moore’s injury, and it raises all sorts of questions.
The main one is this: Will Raiola’s future be in Oregon? Some aren’t so sure about that.
Dylan Raiola Potential to Transfer Again
This is what The Athletic’s Antonio Morales wrote on Monday:
“Dan Lanning fired offensive coordinator Drew Mehringer on Sunday, so maybe things will look different with a new play caller. But nothing Raiola has displayed has warranted confidence in him being Oregon’s starter next year.”
If Raiola has some concern about whether he can even start in Eugene next year, it would be logical for him to enter the transfer portal.
He likely wouldn’t be able to land at as big a program as Oregon again, but there’d definitely be teams out there ready to give him a chance as their starter.
It just wouldn’t be according to plan at all. Raiola was going to use the Ducks to shine and then soar into the NFL. That’s not happening, and it’s not clear that it will.
Dylan Raiola Struggles
Raiola was good in relief of Moore in the USC game that the starter left with an injury, but in subsequent action Raiola has struggled mightily.
“Raiola struggled so badly in Oregon’s next game against UCLA that he was benched in the fourth quarter,” Morales writes. “He didn’t start against Nebraska but did lead a fourth-quarter rally that sparked the Ducks’ comeback win. He earned the start against Illinois, but Oregon scored just 10 points in a loss that squashed any remaining Playoff hopes.”
Raiola was always a bit of an enigma at Nebraska — with flashes of his potential mixed with frustrating stretches of play. There was some thought then that it was about the talent around him.
At Oregon, though, Raiola has seemed to show that he’s still in need of plenty of improvement, too — and it may not happen long-term in a Ducks uniform.
Oregon’s Dylan Raiola Plans Might Involve 3rd Team After Nebraska Transfer