Dylan Raiola splashed onto the college football scene while playing at quarterback for the Nebraska Cornhuskers. Raiola, though, chose to enter the transfer portal and landed with the Oregon Ducks.
Raiola might have thought he’d be in line to start for the Ducks next season, but Oregon starting quarterback Dante Moore has decided to forego entering the 2026 NFL Draft and will come back next season. When examining Raiola’s skill set at the position, several college football quarterback coaches shared their thoughts on his play.
Oregon QB Dylan Raiola Gets Critiqued By QB Coaches
Stewart Mandel, Ralph Russo, and Bruce Feldman of The Athletic shared their thoughts on Raiola during an episode of “The Audible” podcast. Feldman discussed what he learned while speaking with college football quarterback coaches about Raiola.
“When Raiola’s name came up, I got, ‘You know, I think there’s some stuff to like, I don’t think he’s in their class,'” Feldman said when putting Raiola in among other college quarterbacks like Brendan Sorsby of Texas Tech and Sam Leavitt, who transferred from Arizona State to LSU after entering the transfer portal.
“Which meant he was considered by them in the second tier of quarterbacks and the knock on him was he can’t move, he doesn’t create, and he does have a really good arm,” Feldman said.
The Athletic reporters were not the only ones, though, to have some thoughts about Raiola and his play.
“Dylan Raiola has the raw arm talent to be a top-flight college QB, but the idea of Dylan Raiola has been better than what Raiola himself has produced in recent years,” PFSN Analyst Ian Cummings said.
MORE: Does Dante Moore’s Oregon Return Give the Ducks CFB’s Best QB Depth Chart?
“He needs to be honest with himself about his athletic limitations and stop rushing to create overworking in-structure,” Cummings said. “He is built to be a multi-angle pocket passer, but until he embraces in-structure growth and development, he’ll never realize his potential.
“Dante Moore’s career arc, sitting behind a veteran before re-emerging, is the ideal path for Raiola,” Cummings continued. “Time will tell if he’ll get it.”
Additionally, PFSN Chief Growth Officer Cam Mellor shared these thoughts on Raiola: “Dylan Raiola feels very much like a player who’s getting by on his recruiting platform and lofty professional comps. Very little from what we’ve seen in his time in college has proven those to be accurate, however.”
According to the PFSN CFB QB Impact metrics, which are covered for regular-season play only, Raiola finished last season with the Cornhuskers with an impact score of 77.1 and graded out to a C+. As for Moore, who led the Ducks into the Peach Bowl where Indiana beat them 56-22, his impact score was 85.9 and graded out to a B.
Raiola will attempt to improve his game while likely sitting behind Moore this season in Oregon under head coach Dan Lanning.
