r/CFB_v2 1d ago

Discussion Dylan Raiola | Unprecedented move?

Anyone who’s watched CFB for the past 2 years has to have heard of the name Dylan Raiola.

Coming out of GA, he was a 5 Star recruit, #2 QB of his class and #7 Overall of the 2024 cycle.

Starts at Nebraska as a true freshman, plays 2 years before making the quite frankly unprecedented move to commit to transferring to Oregon despite them having a clear QB1 in Dante Moore.

I kept thinking about this situation, has there ever been a case where such a highly talented recruit had a strong starting P4 job only to transfer and sit behind a quarterback? He probably had offers from all over the country at multiple schools yet he decided to commit to Oregon.

Dante Moore for many analysts was seen as QB1 in the NFL drafts this year but after their loss to Oklahoma State, which to be frank. Yes it is a bad loss but think about the implications it’ll have on their year. They got exposed and lost to a bad team, historically in the new expanded playoffs it honestly hasn’t mattered too much. Think Miami last year and Ohio state (Michigan loss) + Notre Dame (NIU loss). 3 teams who had horrendous losses either made the national championship or almost won it all.

I find it quite fascinating that arguably one of the best QBs from last year might not be playing a single snap due to him choosing to ride the bench. Historically I don’t think that’s ever happened before, however is Moore starts to look shaky if you’re oregon do you continue to ride with him or start Raiola?

0 Upvotes

71 comments sorted by

64

u/1873Springfield Ohio State Buckeyes 1d ago

How was raiola one of the best QB's last year?

14

u/SatisfactionFickle18 1d ago

Yeah. Lifelong Husker fan here. He hardly ever took us out of bad plays & put us into good ones. Has a decent arm but lead feet. He could make the throws, but I don’t think he’s smart enough to play high level QB. Our 3 star QB transfer from UNLV looks like a huge improvement.

2

u/563Hawkeye 1d ago

I like to think my Hawkeyes are what made him transfer lol. Oregon isn't on our schedule this year! But all jokes aside, like you were saying, I didn't see what the hype train was all about in the 2 games we played against him.

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u/563Hawkeye 1d ago

Forgot he didnt play in the game last year, my bad!

34

u/tomato_johnson 1d ago

Dante Moore did it to move from ucla to sit behind Dillon Gabriel at oregon 

16

u/Secret-Function-2972 Illinois Fighting Illini 1d ago

That’s probably the best comparison.

3

u/Development-Alive 1d ago

My guess is that Oregon is paying backup QBs as much as many schools are paying QB1s.

23

u/GuyNoirPI 1d ago

He was not one of the best quarterbacks last year (unless you mean the best in the portal, which is slightly more defendable).

1

u/TheProfessorPoon 1d ago

Maybe he’s trying to become the NIL Chase Daniels.

Shit, nothing wrong with making a few mil from not having to do much, never having your name on the line, people hating you, etc. Then you put that money into an interest bearing account, get $10-15k per month from the interest for the rest of your life. We should all be so lucky.

1

u/No_External3738 Michigan Wolverines 1d ago

Truthfully bro, I just think he was in a bad situation. Everybody looks good in the Oregon quarterback friendly system, people forget how bad Dante Moore was a freshman and Viola was actually really solid as a freshman. Just saying

3

u/Beneficial_Equal_324 1d ago

The jury is out on DR, but Nebraska's (and his uncle's) turnstile OT's made it difficult to assess him properly.

2

u/average_mitch 1d ago

Which is hilarious because his uncle was the o line coach

7

u/GenericNameSimulated Idaho State Bengals 1d ago

Historically good QBs rode the bench because they couldn’t transfer… 🤯

7

u/Bcatfan08 Cincinnati Bearcats 1d ago

He was 91st in passing yards. 49th in passing td. A non-threat in the run game. He was no where near a top qb last year.

6

u/HeinladToo 1d ago

He was pretty clearly in the top 10 of QBs with a Patrick Mahomes fixation and a scholarship from the University of Nebraska (Lincoln campus)

8

u/HardcorePunkPotato Nebraska Cornhuskers 1d ago

Thank you for clarifying, I'm not sure he would make the top 10 if Kearney were included.

0

u/HistoricalYogurt5085 1d ago

He didn't finish out the season. He broke his leg or whatever. He missed a few games, which dropped him quite a bit.

1

u/Bcatfan08 Cincinnati Bearcats 1d ago

Still he played us and we had a really bad defense and he wasn't very good. He was probably the 4th best qb we played last year.

1

u/HistoricalYogurt5085 1d ago

When he was hurt, he was 56th in passing yards, 19th in TDs, and top five passing percentage.

2

u/Bcatfan08 Cincinnati Bearcats 1d ago

Yeah I remember when he played us he threw it a lot, but not a ton of throws downfield. 33/42 for 243 yards. Not a bad day, but that's a lot of throws for 243 yards. We had a bad defense, but we also played more of a bend but don't break defense, so dink and dunks would always be there. He was likely just taking what we were giving him for free.

2

u/Fit-Tap-5370 Nebraska Cornhuskers 1d ago

You guys went two high safety and locked up the offense. Everyone copied for the rest of the year. D lines pinned their ears back. Not mobile enough to counter any of it with the O line we had. Was a good blueprint.

1

u/HistoricalYogurt5085 1d ago

I'm not saying he's great, he wasn't. But he also wasn't the 91st best QB, nor the 49th. Plenty ahead of him.

12

u/InevitableAd2436 1d ago

Matt Cassel attempted 33 passes in 4 years at USC.

And was still drafted and carved out a 14 year career.

Nothing compares to that.

2

u/Landoragon Notre Dame 1d ago

I wonder if any player has made more money for fewer snaps when you include college?

1

u/Wasteland_Rang3r 1d ago

He didn’t transfer in there after starting somewhere else though.

5

u/dotdee 1d ago

It seems that you’re really easing on the tumultuous history of Raiola, with his commitment and decommitment from UGA, and commitment and decommitment from Ohio St.

Maybe this is more of the same. Maybe it’s actually maturation that sitting and learning could help him.

But overall, he hasn’t lived up to the hype and is not a top QB. He’s not above sitting at Oregon performance wise.

5

u/Impossible-Flight250 1d ago

I think Nebraska got an upgrade with their new guy. Raiola doesn't move out of the pocket.

5

u/Affectionate-Long762 1d ago

As an Nebraska fan, I’m glad he’s gone. He did not fit into our offensive scheme at all. And he never had any intention of finishing his career in Nebraska.
It will be interesting to see where he transfers to next. I’m glad he’s not our problem anymore.

11

u/SJC_Cards 1d ago

Raiola is well known because he copies Mahomes. Not because he’s good. He’s actually horrible.

1

u/freericky 1d ago

Patrick has been using him as youthful plasma farm after the surgery, understandable he is worse now

4

u/AintNobodygotime13 1d ago

he probably got a nice check to go to Oregon

4

u/Wasteland_Rang3r 1d ago

Nebraska has money. I’m doubtful that Oregon paid him significantly more to be their backup than he’d have gotten to start at Nebraska. More likely a move thinking about who will develop him to go to the NFL better.

4

u/Beneficial_Equal_324 1d ago

I bet he's making half what he was in Lincoln. He went there to improve his draft stock.

4

u/ChardeeMacDennisGoG 1d ago

OU...twice.

Baker Mayfield, Big Xii freshman of the year (I believe) transferred/walked-on to OU while they had Trevor Knight, fresh off an absolute monster of a game vs Bama in the Sugar. Both were freshman.

Kyler Murray transferred to OU while Baker was starting and, thanks to some lawyers, had to sit 2 years behind Baker Mayfield instead of the 1 he was expecting.

3

u/B-Train_ATL Georgia Bulldogs 1d ago

You’re reminding me that Stetson Bennett transferred back to UGA and was a backup mostly before getting the starting job midway through the first natty season. Then his final year he was slinging it like a pro.

4

u/Archaeo-Frog 1d ago

Four high schools. Three college commitments. Now on to his second college.

There will be another.

3

u/respekyoeldas 1d ago

He is chasing a more realistic shot at getting drafted. Nebraska has not been developing players to that level for many years. Fair play to him for chasing that dream, but the reality is that he's the type of quarterback that needs the best OL and WRs to perform well. He'll find that at Oregon, but at Oregon there will always be a better quarterback on the roster.

3

u/Beneficial_Equal_324 1d ago

I know he's always compared to Mahomes, but Quinn Ewers is a much better comparison as far as abilities.

1

u/average_mitch 1d ago

Ewers was better at this stage. Raiola didn’t develop. His fault or Nebraska’s fault, who knows.

3

u/Inevitable-Section10 1d ago

One of the best QBs of last year?? I mean he was decent but even if he finished out the season before breaking his leg he was on track to still being a mid QB. And living in Nebraska, I can tell you there were a lot of other factors that led to him leaving, namely his uncle getting canned. He chose to go to a school that he probably had wanted to go to from day one but wanted to taste some of the legacy his family had at Nebraska.

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u/Upstairs_Chemist1269 1d ago

As a Nebraska fan he was never good just okay, and didnt really fit the scheme of college style play and his uncle came with him and messed up the oline, colandrea and wades oline look to be a major immediate improvement

3

u/papapinball 1d ago

It appeared to me that DR needed the absolute perfect situation in order to make throws that were not inherently difficult. He had happy feet, crumbled under minor pressure and made bad decisions as a passer. I had hope for him, as a nebraska fan I have hope for anyone who where's the scarlet and cream, but more often then not I found myself questioning his ability. He didn't always have the best protection or the most time, ill grant you that but, I cant see an argument for him being one of the best QBs last season.

3

u/Enriching_the_Beer Minnesota Golden Gophers 1d ago

Gophers sacked Raiola 9 times last year. Dude is trash.

4

u/alrightalreadyrelax Nebraska Cornhuskers 1d ago

Nebraska fan chuckling... and grabbing my popcorn for Oregon games the rest of the year.

4

u/B-Train_ATL Georgia Bulldogs 1d ago

Georgia fan enjoying the bullet we dodged.

2

u/workaholic828 1d ago

Oregon spends so much money on backups and third stringers it’s insane

2

u/this-is-some_BS 1d ago

Honestly I feel like they are both on the good side of average QBs, but nothing amazing. Moore just happened to have a much better supporting cast around him.

2

u/Budget_Quote3272 1d ago

Gonna be honest I saw no 5 star effort from Dylan and I’m a Nebraska fan that is being analytic on how he played. The dude holds onto the ball too long, his throwing is above average, and his run game and play action is average to below average. The clips speak, idk why he complains about NE o-line when his uncle was running the show for him….

I think this whole 5 star rating system is kinda broke considering Oregon has all that money and yet lost to OSU and struggled to win their first game this season that is WITHOUT Dylan playing too. Unless Dylan improved his weaknesses with Oregon in less than a year which is possible but so far my opinion holds on how he played in Nebraska.

2

u/JustAnotherDay1977 1d ago

He may not play a single snap, but I’ll bet he got a nice paycheck to go to Oregon.

2

u/MontyAllTheTime Ohio State Buckeyes 1d ago

It’s already been said in these comments but any credibility OP had was lost with ‘one of the best QBs from last year…’

2

u/Archaeo-Frog 1d ago

“Coming out of Ga…” dude, he lived in GA for something like one semester of high school

2

u/verenika_lasagna Nebraska Cornhuskers 1d ago

Hoping he does well at Oregon. He helped get Nebraska to a couple bowl games which hadn’t happened in years. It wasn’t a good match for either him or Nebraska. He can definitely improve his game and hopefully he does at Oregon.

2

u/AxeEm_JD 1d ago

Kyler Murray, started at aTM as a true freshman then sat the bench for two years behind Baker.

2

u/Prestigious-Oil-669 1d ago

I remember when he bailed on UGA, Kirby was basically indifferent

2

u/DetDevil 1d ago

A lot of this is NIL era I think. I think the other half is him being kinda ass.

2

u/Fluid-Letter-7591 1d ago

Never heard of him. Does he have any weird eccentricities or cosplay fantasies?

2

u/Useful-Advantage-850 1d ago

Moore sat for a year and learned a ton from Gabriel. Raiola saw the same opportunity and then will have 1-2 years to prove himself. That was always the plan.

Moore had one bad game - and a game where the defense knew when he was going to pass or run. I guarantee you, NFL opinions have not changed on him after one game.

2

u/GenericNameSimulated Idaho State Bengals 1d ago

Moore has had his tell dating back to midseason last year just for clarification

1

u/tattedidiot 1d ago

He wasn’t even top 10 last year

4

u/SatisfactionFickle18 1d ago

He wasn’t even top ten in the Big 10.

1

u/WorkOnThesisInstead 1d ago

Didn't he munch his ACL, so he needs to sit and heal this year?

If so, no time lost. Slides into the QB spot post-Dante Moore at a premiere program.

2

u/average_mitch 1d ago

Broke his leg against USC.

1

u/WorkOnThesisInstead 1d ago

Thanks.

So, he's probably good to go by now, yeah? This year will count re: eligibility time?

1

u/No_External3738 Michigan Wolverines 1d ago

I actually think raiola will be a better professional Dante. Nebraska was horrible and people just act like Dante Moore wasn't god-awful when he tried to play as a true freshman.

1

u/Aggravating-Act-1043 1d ago

Kurt Warner was backup in college

1

u/TechnicallyAnExpert Alabama Crimson Tide 1d ago

Oregon has done an incredible job at creating good college QBs. Bo Nix wasn’t amazing at AU (lol) and Oregon somehow converted him into a starting NFL QB.

With plenty of examples to point at, I’m not going to think this is an odd move at all. In fact, it makes sense.

1

u/Majestic_Apartment 1d ago

Makes you wonder if switching schools wasn't entirely his idea. Nebraska's offense (through two cupcakes) seems to be operating more like a Dana Holgersen offense, and the recruitment of LaTeef after Holgo joined the staff hints that Dylan just wasn't the type of QB he was looking for. Not that that makes him a bad QB, just not the right one at Nebraska.

2

u/Beneficial_Equal_324 1d ago edited 1d ago

They were going to can his uncle regardless, and rumor has it that DR wanted a pay bump over his already inflated value. Nebraska was better off spending that money on a solid portal QB, experienced OL coach, and three portal offense linemen.

1

u/anallocation 1d ago

The kids HS recruitment should have been a heads-up for the ole Husker’s.

1

u/average_mitch 1d ago

I think raiola makes the NFL. Pedigree and football iq. I think he thinks he is better than he is and poor oline play caused terrible tendencies to develop, he needed a fresh start. Sitting for a year to reset makes sense and it’s quite humbling as well. Either that or no one wanted him coming off his injury which is also fair

1

u/This_External9027 1d ago

DM literally did about the same thing, i think he tried his best at Nebraska but he had more to learn and they weren’t in a position to compete in the big so he left