Nebraska football's 2025 season has had plenty of twists and turns en route to a 7-3 record heading into the final two weeks of the regular season. One of the biggest twists of them all was the Wednesday morning decommitment of Dayton Raiola.
The younger brother of injured Huskers' starting quarterback Dylan Raiola, Dayton has been committed to NU for over a year. It was clear that the Raiola brothers were laying the groundwork for quite a family legacy. But now? His decommitment and the timing of it will certainly shoot off some severe warning signs. The question now is just what this could mean.
Are both Raiolas on their way out of Nebraska?
Does this mean Dylan is on his way out as well? That's one of the first questions that most Nebraska football fans will ask themselves and social media once they see the Dayton Raiola news.
At the moment, there's no indication that's what's happening here. However, Dylan's backup, TJ Lateef, had a fantastic first collegiate start, and that started questions about how the Huskers could bring both QBs back.
Could Dayton think his older brother is headed out the door and wants to follow him wherever he goes? That's certainly one possibility.
Nebraska's quarterback situation becomes oddly clearer
One of the oddest parts of Dayton Raiola's decommitting on Wednesday is that it removes some question marks from the quarterback room, assuming this was all him, and it's not the first of another domino falling. TJ Lateef is only a year older than Dayton and will absolutely be the backup should Dylan stick around.
Then in 2027, Trae Taylor arrives, and he'll come in as a much more hyped prospect than the 3-star younger Raiola. Where Dayton would fit into that group was always a question. The high schooler may have realized that as well.
What's going on with the 2026 class?
The most significant question/warning signal of all is that Matt Rhule's 2026 class continues to bottom out. Raiola is the second decommit this week, following offensive lineman Leon Noil.
That leaves Nebraska with just 9 commitments in a class that will sign on the dotted line in two weeks. It's the lowest-rated and smallest in decades.
There's also the issue of Jett Thomalla. The top quarterback in the state of Nebraska in the class didn't get a Huskers offer because of Dayton Raiola. He's headed to Alabama. That's quite a miss, underlined by the big decommitment.