Dylan Raiola met the Oregon media for the first time on Tuesday, and the quarterback used his first public comments as a Duck to look back on Nebraska, where he spent two seasons before transferring in the 2026 offseason.
Raiola said he was grateful for his time with the Cornhuskers, pointing to the coaches, people and fans he encountered there, but he also acknowledged there were moments when he could have done more to help his team win. He said he plans to carry those lessons forward in Eugene.
That history matters because Raiola’s Nebraska career was productive but uneven. He finished with a 69.1 percent passing game accuracy and a 13-9 record in his starts, and his 2025 season ended prematurely after he broke his right fibula. The injury cut short the year before he ever had a chance to show what a full season might have looked like.
Now the challenge is different. Raiola is entering an Oregon quarterback room that already has Dante Moore, the Ducks’ 2025 starter, after Moore said shortly after Raiola’s commitment that he would return for another year. Raiola said he is excited to learn from Moore and would do his best to be the best teammate he can be, while also offering ideas to help anyone in the room.
That approach tracks with how Oregon coach Dan Lanning has described Raiola’s mentality, as one centered on development and helping the team rather than chasing headlines. Raiola had also drawn comparisons to Kansas City Chiefs quarterback Patrick Mahomes while at Nebraska, a reminder of how much attention followed him before he ever took a snap for Oregon.
For Oregon, the next step is clear: Raiola must turn a transfer and a rehab year into a clean reset. Tuesday was only the first public look at that process, but he made plain that his goal is to use what happened at Nebraska to push himself, and the Ducks, forward.
