Before Dayton Raiola signs on the dotted line for the Nebraska football team this December and joins his brother on the Huskers, he'll get to showcase his high school team's new stadium on national television.
Dayton (and Dylan before him) plays at Buford High in Georgia. That program happens to be one of the best high school programs in the country. When they open their season against Georgia rival school Milton, the game will be on ESPN.
Dayton Raiola’s national spotlight boosts Nebraska’s 2026 recruiting buzz
ESPN announced the August 14 season opener will be broadcast as part of a push to have more High School games that feature some of the biggest stars of the sport at that level. That includes the future Nebraska football quarterback, who is the Huskers' only QB commit in the 2026 class.
INBOX: ESPN announces that #Nebraska 2026 QB commit Dayton Raiola and his Buford HS team will play a nationally televised game on Aug. 14 on ESPN2 pic.twitter.com/vknDtF3ioo
— Justin Frommer (@JustinbFrommer) July 30, 2025
"The reigning back-to-back GHSA Class 7A champion Milton Eagles will kick off the 2025 season against the Buford Wolves in a rematch from the 2024 season opener, where Milton took home the 13-10 victory. The game will mark the debut of the newly-renovated $62 million Phillip Beard Stadium, which has a capacity of 10,000."
It's a heck of an opportunity for the younger Raiola to show off what he can do. And of course, it's a heck of a recruiting opportunity for the Nebraska football team. The program will get plenty of mention as Raiola tries to lead his current team to a season-opening win. It's the kind of thing other high school recruits will be watching, as it's still several weeks before the college season kicks off.