The announcement that Nebraska football fans have been waiting for from Dylan Raiola finally arrived on Monday afternoon. He plans on playing for another team in 2026. While the announcement was hardly a surprise, it's another body blow for a team that has a lot riding on how much success it has next year.
Rumors that Raiola was leaving the Huskers popped up soon after the end of the regular season. The success of true freshman TJ Lateef as both a passer and a runner indicated to all involved that it was time to move on from the stereotypical drop-back quarterback.
Even more signs were evident the day that Nebraska head coach Matt Rhule announced he'd fired Dylan's uncle and offensive line coach Donovan Raiola. It was thought the two were a package deal for the last two years.
Sources: Nebraska quarterback Dylan Raiola intends to enter the NCAA transfer portal. He’s a true sophomore who has two years of eligibility remaining. He threw for 18 touchdowns, 2000 yards and completed 72.4% of his passes this year. pic.twitter.com/Frt7QgFN57
— Pete Thamel (@PeteThamel) December 15, 2025
Dylan Raiola is moving on from the Nebraska football program
Cutting the elder Raiola loose seemed to be a "fish or cut bait" moment for the program. The program decided to cut bait and not rely on family ties to hold back the offensive line maturation and development.
Raiola enters what has quickly become a star-studded transfer portal at the quarterback position. Arizona State's Sam Leavitt announced earlier this month he was bound for greener pastures. On Monday, Florida's DJ Lagway and Cincinnati's Brendan Sorsby both indicated they will enter the portal when it opens on January 2.
Dylan Raiola finishes his Nebraska football career with impressive stats for a freshman and sophomore though perhaps not as good a statistical outlook as people hoped in this second season. He completed 69% of his passes for 4,819 yards, 31 touchdowns, and 17 interceptions. He was also sacked an eye-popping 54 times, including 27 times in just 9 games this year.