Dylan Raiola was once a five-star quarterback recruit that was headed for in-state powerhouse Georgia. But he spurned the Dawgs for Nebraska and after two uneven years, he’s now reportedly headed to the transfer portal, according to ESPN.
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
Raiola's name and pedigree suggest that teams should be lining up around the block. But the problem is he hasn’t really developed like a Power 4 starting quarterback should: In his two seasons as a starter, he hasn’t had a 3,000-yard passing season yet, though he got close his freshman year.
I think teams will take a gamble on him based on name and potential, but Raiola isn’t the quarterback he was once hyped to be. He needs a system that would actually develop him versus a system that needs him to come in and carry them to a College Football Playoff.
The most obvious name out there is Lane Kiffin. He’s turned worse quarterbacks than Raiola into respectable ones. Raiola may be headed for the portal, but it doesn’t necessarily mean he’s the biggest name in the market. Here’s a look at his move and what it means for the upcoming portal window.
Potential Dylan Raiola landing spots that shouldn’t bite in the transfer portal
Florida State Seminoles
Mike Norvell keeps getting olive branches from Florida State, despite a chaotic tenure that hasn’t resurfaced since they were left for dead in the 2023 College Football Playoff race. He’s once again in the market for a quarterback this winter, and he’d be foolish to think Raiola is the best option. Norvell doesn’t need to be playing around with potential, he needs a quarterback that’s going to actually produce wins.
Thomas Castellanos was a gamble in itself this past year and it worked until it didn’t. Norvell won’t be able to be mediocre and continue to keep his job. Next season is important, and filling out the roster will be paramount to his success. That starts with passing on Raiola in the portal to avoid yet another disappointing season.
Florida Gators
John Sumrall probably shouldn’t look at Raiola as the answer as DJ Lagway is reportedly headed for the portal with a coaching change. Who Sumrall turns to in the transfer portal to start his new tenure will go a long way toward helping him rebuild Florida into a powerhouse. Raiola would not be a good place to start, because he wasn’t even elite in the Big Ten.
If he can’t succeed against the subpar schedules Nebraska got handed, he’s not going to last against the SEC for nine weeks. Sumrall would be better off convincing Lagway to come back before turning to Raiola. He might be able to play against SEC defenses in a year, but next season, it would be a lot to think he’d come in and make Florida better.
Miami Hurricanes
Miami isn’t shy about throwing money around for quarterbacks after paying Carson Beck more money to come back to school rather than enter the NFL Draft. That ultimately ended up being a mistake – even if they don’t want to admit it yet – and doubling down with another risky quarterback move like Raiola isn’t worth it.
The Hurricanes will once again need a quarterback and while Raiola isn’t a bad option, he just won’t be the answer they need. Beck was the reason their path to the College Football Playoff was hectic. They’d probably have that same fate next year if they turned the offense over to Raiola.
3 better quarterbacks to take a gamble on in the portal over Dylan Raiola
Brendan Sorsby
Brendan Sorsby is headed for the transfer portal and reportedly thinking about heading for the NFL Draft as well. Sorsby is the perfect dual threat option: He was relatively consistent this year and helped Cincinnati get ranked both in the AP poll and the College Football Playoff rankings. He was a good quarterback at Cincinnati, but it’s clear he deserves a better offense and coaching staff than what the Bearcats can offer. He’s not quite top P4 material, but he’d be a good quarterback in the ACC or Big Ten in my opinion.
Kenny Minchey
Kenny Minchey was in a quarterback battle this past offseason with CJ Carr and ultimately lost out. He’s been waiting since Riley Leonard departed and now he’ll have to go elsewhere. Tennessee has been one team reportedly interested in landing him, which makes sense seeing as he’s from outside of Nashville. He has a lot of potential even though he really hasn’t played. Though he doesn’t have a lot of experience, I feel like he’s a safer option than Raiola, who has already played two seasons.
DJ Lagway
I don’t want to hype up Lagway yet again after he flopped this season, but I think he’s still one of the best quarterback options out there, with a caveat: He needs to be in a system that actually knows how to use him. He had less than 200 rushing yards as a dual threat. He was put in situations where he forced throws and he just didn’t look like the No. 1 quarterback in his recruiting class. That said, I’d take Lagway over Raiola simply because there’s more potential there for me. Wherever Lagway lands, it should be somewhere that has an offensive scheme to maximize his abilities.