Nebraska QB commit could not be more locked in with the Cornhuskers

Matt Rhule leaned on Dylan Raiola’s family ties to the Nebraska football program to land him as a five-star QB in the 2024 recruiting class. Now, playing for the Cornhuskers has simply become a family affair for the Raiolas. 

Following in his father, All-American center Dominic Raiola, and older brother’s footsteps, three-star 2026 QB Dayton Raiola is locked in with Nebraska. Dayton committed to the Huskers last fall, and by now, he’s essentially already part of the program. Just last week, Dylan booked out a rooftop for his teammates to watch Dayton’s high school season opener, which was broadcast on ESPN. 

In an era when NIL and the transfer portal have made commitments mean less than ever, Nebraska can feel soundly knowing that Dayton is on his way to Lincoln and might even be the successor to Dylan when he eventually leaves for the NFL. There’s no chance he flips because Dayton told Chad Simmons of Rivals, that he doesn’t “feel like a recruit anymore.” 

With Dayton Raiola locked in, Matt Rhule has to hold on tight to 2027 4-star Trae Taylor

Dylan Raiola is entering his second year as the starting quarterback for the Huskers and will almost certainly have a third as a true junior in 2026. Then, it’ll be a question of whether he’s ready for the NFL or not. Regardless, Rhule has to have a succession plan in place. 

That plan may feature Dayton Raiola, but the Buford High School quarterback is not nearly as highly-touted as his older brother. Dayton is the 1,621st overall player in the 2026 recruiting class and the 96th QB according to 247Sports Composite Rankings. That’s a far cry from a surefire Power 4 starter, and could leave Dayton with a lengthy development trajectory. 

TJ Lateef is Nebraska’s latest QB addition, a 2025 three-star, along with Purdue transfer Marcos Davila, a redshirt freshman who is likely to be buried on the depth chart behind Raiola and redshirt senior Jalyn Gramstad, Raiola’s veteran backup. 

That depth chart doesn’t inspire much confidence, so it’s paramount that Rhule holds onto his prized 2027 four-star QB commit, Trae Taylor. Taylor is a top 100 player in the class and a top-five QB. He clearly has the most upside of any potential Raiola replacement that Rhule has in the pipeline right now, and with Dayton locked in, the third-year head coach should focus much of his recruiting efforts on locking down Taylor.