Dylan Raiola committed to transfer to Oregon knowing full well Dante Moore had not made his NFL Draft decision. Had Moore left, Raiola would be the presumed starter. With Moore staying, he's relegated to the backup role. Sucks to be him, right? Maybe not.
Raiola could toss his name back into the transfer portal and seek a starting job elsewhere. He shouldn't though. The situation he now finds himself in is the ideal one for his career long term. Just look at how well it worked out Dante Moore.
Dante Moore's improvement from UCLA to Oregon
Comp% | PassY/G | Y/A | TD% | INT% | Rating | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
UCLA | 53.5 | 178.9 | 7.6 | 5.2 | 4.2 | 125.6 |
Oregon | 71.8 | 237.7 | 8.7 | 7.3 | 2.4 | 163.7 |
Moore had been a starter at UCLA. He chose to transfer to Oregon knowing he'd have to sit a year behind Dillon Gabriel. He took a redshirt, learned the system and refined his skills, emerging in 2025 as the Ducks' starter.
Moore tossed 3,565 yards and 30 touchdowns while leading OU to the College Football Playoff. His PFF rating at UCLA was 57.5. That improved to 90.2 at Oregon. He wasn't far away from earning an invite to New York for the Heisman Trophy ceremony.
Is that improvement translatable for Raiola? Why not?
Dylan Raiola can replicate Dante Moore's success at Oregon
Raiola can walk the same path. Sit behind Moore for a year, take a redshirt and emerge in 2027 as the starter with two seasons of eligibility remaining. He'd take the reins at a program likely to compete for the College Football Playoff, no longer expected to carry the team on his back.
Comp% | PassY/G | Y/A | TD% | INT% | Rating | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Nebraska | 69.1 | 219.0 | 7.3 | 4.7 | 2.6 | 140.8 |
In Lincoln, Raiola posted PFF grades of 72.1 and 62.4 in 2024 and 2025 respectively. While his raw stats improved from Year 1 to Year 2, his contributions to winning didn't. Frankly, his development at Nebraska left a lot to be desired. Oregon has long history of quality quarterback play. It's simply a more QB-friendly program than Nebraska.
Dylan Raiola has one legitimate reason to leave Oregon
It's in Raiola's best interest to stay at Oregon and ride it out. However, if he decided to reverse course, there's one reason that makes sense: Will Stein is no longer Oregon's offensive coordinator.
Stein was the guy who coached Bo Nix, Dillon Gabriel and Dante Moore to all their success. He's now the head coach at Kentucky. Oregon opted to promote co-OC and tight ends coach Drew Mehringer. Continuity makes a lot of sense for the Ducks. However, the certainty around Oregon being a place where QBs develop and thrive is slightly diminished.
It's one thing to decide to leave because you want playing time, forgoing proven development. It's another thing to leave because you want playing time and there's no guarantee you'll be developed while you sit.
The ball is in Raiola's court. He needs to decide what's best for his future. If he consulted me (which he will not be doing), I'd tell him to stay in Eugene. Patience is a virtue.