LINCOLN, Neb. — Dayton Raiola and Nebraska, as it turns out, are not a perfect match.
The 2026 quarterback prospect out of Buford, Ga., decommitted from the Huskers on Wednesday after 14 months as a cornerstone recruit in the Huskers’ next class of signees.
🚨BREAKING🚨 QB Dayton Raiola has decommitted from Nebraska, @ChadSimmons_ reports.
Dayton is the younger brother of Huskers QB Dylan Raiola.
Read: https://t.co/EK0MP97F82 pic.twitter.com/UJF068KHv0
— Rivals (@Rivals) November 19, 2025
Raiola reposted a Rivals report on his Instagram story with the message: “Gods Plan.” He is the younger brother of two-year Nebraska starter Dylan Raiola, who’s out for the remainder of this season after he suffered a broken fibula in the second half of the Huskers’ Nov. 1 loss against USC.
True freshman TJ Lateef started in place of Dylan Raiola at UCLA on Nov. 8 and is scheduled to make his second start as the Huskers visit Penn State on Saturday night.
Dayton Raiola, a 6-foot-1, 205-pound left-handed thrower, attended numerous games and camps with his brother in the lead-up to Dylan’s signing after a flip from Georgia in December 2023. Their father, Dominic Raiola, was an All-America center at Nebraska in 2000 before a 14-year NFL career. Dominic’s brother, Donovan Raiola, coaches the Nebraska offensive line.
The youngest Raiola, a three-star prospect, did not receive the same recruiting attention as his five-star-rated brother. Aside from Nebraska, he held offers from Charlotte and Appalachian State. His loyalty to the Huskers accounted in part for the lack of hype. Dayton was considered a near-lock for Nebraska from the time it offered him a scholarship during his freshman year of high school in 2022.
The Raiola news raises questions. But the ramifications, if any, remain unknown. Let’s unpack it.
This does not signal a split between the Raiolas and Nebraska. Nebraska coach Matt Rhule visited Dayton in Georgia last Friday as the QB threw four touchdown passes in a 45-0 Buford playoff victory against Richmond Hill.
Dylan remains entrenched in Lincoln. After his surgery two weeks ago in New York, he returned to Nebraska and has attended practices and meetings, taking notes and helping Lateef with his preparation. The Huskers secured a game ball for Dylan after the victory at UCLA.
“It’s killing him,” Nebraska offensive coordinator Dana Holgorsen said Tuesday of Raiola’s emotions over his inability to play at Penn State.
Dylan, since his arrival in January 202,4 has been the face of the Nebraska program. He stepped into a leadership role as a freshman, perhaps before he was ready for the responsibility, and has handled the spotlight with professionalism.
He has been compensated well via NIL and revenue sharing. Dylan threw for 2,000 yards this season on 181-of-250 passing (72.4 percent) with 18 touchdowns and six interceptions.
Rhule said he expects Dylan’s time away from the grind of practice to enhance his skills as a QB. His recovery is expected to take about three months.
No indication exists that Dayton’s exit from the 2026 class was connected to tension between the family and Nebraska over Dylan’s experience at the school. Dominic Raiola did not return a message from The Athletic on Wednesday.
College football is a bottom-line business for the Raiolas. In 2023, Rhule sold Dylan on the challenge Nebraska presented him to develop as an NFL prospect in a program that needed his help to restore a tradition of success.
Dylan started every game last season as a true freshman in directing Nebraska to a bowl appearance for the first time since 2016. His attitude in the offseason and through the nine games in which played this year were instrumental in the Huskers reaching the seven-win mark with two games to play.
It’s a business for Dayton, too. He’s looking for a college program that gives him the best chance to play. If that’s not Nebraska, there are options.
The QB group in Lincoln is in good shape. Nebraska coaches and players expect Lateef to pick up this week where he left off against UCLA.
“He’s going to be more than ready,” Holgorsen said. “I’m really convinced and believe in him.”
Lateef’s emergence bolsters the position group. If he’s back next year with three seasons of eligibility in addition to Dylan Raiola’s two, the opportunity for a 2026 signee might be limited. Marcos Davila, a redshirt freshman, has made gains this year, according to Rhule, as a first-year transfer from Vanderbilt. And Nebraska owns the commitment of Trae Taylor in the 2027 class.
A four-star prospect out of Chicago rated as the No. 4 QB nationally by the 247 Sports Composite, Taylor is a headliner.
Excited to be back home, and yes spending Thanksgiving in Lincoln. Parents asked where I wanted to be and of course the is only 1 place. Then get to watch @HuskerFootball Black Friday https://t.co/b2S8dNuJsf
— Trae Taylor (@Qb6Trae) November 18, 2025
Even before the decommitment of Dayton Raiola, Taylor was commonly viewed as the heir apparent to the quarterbacks on the roster in 2025.
The 2026 recruiting class is set to rate as the Huskers’ smallest in many decades. The departures in the past week of Dayton Raiola and New Orleans offensive lineman Leon Noil, who flipped to Mississippi State, leave the Huskers with nine pledges ahead of the Dec. 3 signing date.
Rhule said this week, before the second decommitment, that the class would not add more than one or two additional recruits. That was the plan from the start with this class, he said, in managing a roster that includes 91 freshmen and sophomores.
The players set to sign in two weeks are “difference makers,” Rhule said. Cornerback Danny Odem of Orlando, elevated this week to five-star status by 247Sports, heads the class.
Will the class include a QB? Likely not, unless Nebraska can flip a prospect who fits financially and among the order of quarterbacks set to return.
In recruiting Dayton Raiola, Nebraska passed on QB Jett Thomalla of Omaha, a four-star prospect who committed originally to Iowa State and flipped to Alabama in June. Thomalla has thrown for 3,659 yards and 58 touchdowns as a senior in leading Millard South to a berth next week in the Class A championship game at Memorial Stadium.
His recruitment is over, barring a major surprise.
Important decisions loom in the weeks ahead. Separate from his brother’s decision, Dylan Raiola faces a choice as he continues to rehab. If Lateef plays well against Penn State and Iowa, is a QB controversy imminent? Does Raiola want that on his plate ahead of his third collegiate season?
Might Lateef entertain an offer via the portal if his value continues to rise?
Few programs retain two proven, starting-caliber quarterbacks. The cost is high. And QBs want to know their situations. If one of Nebraska’s top two opts to leave in January, the Huskers would look to the portal for a replacement.
Did Rhule, in offering praise last week for Holgorsen and second-year Nebraska quarterbacks coach Glenn Thomas, cover himself for such a situation to arise?
“I just take it for granted how good (Thomas) is,” Rhule said. “I think Glenn’s done a really nice job, and I think it’s important that I say that. And I’m talking a lot to people out there in recruiting. If you’re a good quarterback and you want to go somewhere, I’d come play for Dana Holgorsen and Glenn Thomas.”
