The College Football Transfer Portal is heating up, as another big-name quarterback has entered his name. Dylan Raiola has entered the transfer portal, ending his time with Nebraska. Now, he will be looking for a new home, and these are the best possible options.
Raiola has a long history of transferring. It actually began back in high school, when he played for three different high schools in three years. He would end his high school career at Buford High School in Georgia, and a five-star recruit. He was the third-ranked quarterback behind, in composite rankings, Julian Sayin and DJ Lagway, who is also in the transfer portal. Although some ranking services had him ranked second. Before moving to the Georgia high school, he had committed to Ohio State, but would flip that in May of 2023 to the Georgia Bulldogs.
He would then change his commitment once again, joining Nebraska. He would earn the starting job for the Cornhuskers. The Huskers QB passed for 2,819 yards and 13 touchdowns in his freshman year, while also throwing 11 interceptions. This past season, he passed for 2,000 yards with 18 touchdowns and six interceptions before a season-ending injury. For all his emulation of Patrick Mahomes, it is being reported that Texas Tech is not on the transfer list. Still, there are a lot of options for Raiola.
Would Kenny Dillingham be interested in Raiola?
Arizona State made the College Football Playoff last season and then was in contention to make the Big 12 Championship, but Sam Leavitt was injured and missed the end of the season. Leavitt then skipped out on the team banquet, leading to speculation that he is entering the transfer portal. Meanwhile, Raiola is a talented quarterback who could be great for the offense of the Sun Devils.
In the backfield, the team has Raleek Brown, who ran for 1,141 yards and four scores. Further, top wide receiver Jordyn Tyson is also expected to return to the team. The team also returns a strong offensive line to help whoever is their quarterback. Meanwhile, Kenny Dillingham has shown he can develop quarterbacks, working as a QB coach before finally landing as the head coach at Arizona State.
Miami will need a new QB
Mario Cristobal has been solid at bringing in transfer quarterbacks. He did well with Cam Ward, developing him into the number one pick in the NFL Draft. Carson Beck has not been the same success, but still solid, and he will be heading off to the NFL this year as well. Miami also has plenty of NIL money to work with, which could be enticing for Raiola.
Miami gives Raiola the high-profile stage he has been craving as well. The former Cornhusker QB has not shied away from the spotlight, and Miami could provide a spotlight for him over the next two seasons. Moreover, one of the issues he has had at Nebraska has been protection. He has been sacked 54 times over two seasons. Miami has an elite offensive line and will be able to provide solid protection for the quarterback. Raioloa has shown that, with protection, he can make solid reads and great passes.
Indiana has been great with transfer quarterbacks
Like Miami, Curt Cignetti and Indiana have also done well with transfer quarterbacks. He took a likely CFL quarterback who left Ohio in Kurtis Rourke and made him into an NFL one. Cignetti then took Fernando Mendoza and helped him to the Heisman Trophy. They will be looking for a new quarterback to take over, assuming Mendoza heads off to the NFL.
Beyond the fact that Cignetti has shown a track record in developing quarterbacks, there are two other major factors for Raiola being a fit at Indiana. First, he stays in the Big Ten. He will be facing defensive units that he has faced before. Indiana has Minnesota, Northwestern, USC, and Michigan all on the schedule, teams Raiola faced in 2025. The only downside of the schedule could be a trip back to Nebraska. Further, the supporting cast at Indiana is fantastic, including a solid defense, which will help the young quarterback. Indiana could be a perfect fit for the former Georgia commit, but that is if the Hooisers want him.
Will DeBoer be interested in Raiola?
Alabama may need to replace Ty Simpson at quarterback. The junior quarterback has been solid this year, passing for 3268 yards and 26 touchdowns and five interceptions. If Simpson moves to the NFL, then Raiola could be an option for the Crimson Tide. He could be an option regardless, only if he is willing to sit and learn for a year. Raiola would become the starter if Simpson moves. While the Tide has two other quarterbacks on the roster, Keelon Russell and Austin Mack, Raiola would likely beat both of them out.
This would also give the quarterback a chance to be closer to family. His family moved to Georgia, just three and a half hours away from the campus of the University of Alabama. Another reason is a chance to play in the SEC, seen by some NFL scouts as bigger competition than the Big Ten, and it could help his NFL Draft status. The best reason is the combination of Kalen DeBoer and Ryan Grubb. Both of them have a history in developing quarterbacks, but one of the top ones is Michael Penix Jr. Penix threw for over 9,000 yards with 67 touchdowns and seven more on the ground in his two seasons under the combination of DeBoer and Grubb at Washington. He also has a very similar skill set to Raiola, which shows what the two can do with that type of quarterback.
Does Oregon need to replace Dante Moore?
Oregon could also be in the market for a transfer quarterback, depending on the decision of Dante Moore. Oregon has a long history of sending quarterbacks to the NFL, and Moore will be the next. Beyond that, Dillion Gabriel, Bo Nix, Tyler Shough, Justin Herbert, and Marcus Mariota have all moved to the NFL after Oregon in recent years. Shough did transfer out of Oregon, though, spending time at Texas Tech and Louisville. Regardless, Oregon has a rich quarterback history as far back as Dan Fouts, which could be an enticement for Raiola.
He is also a different type of quarterback than Oregon has had recently. He is a bigger-framed quarterback with a strong arm, which could result in a bigger downfield game. Like with Indiana, Raiola would also get a chance to face familiar defensive units. Oregon faces Michigan State, Michigan, Northwestern, and USC next year, all teams that the former Cornhusker faced last year. Meanwhile, he would have to face Nebraska again, but it would be in Oregon, not back in Nebraska.
Railoa is going to have plenty of suitors in the transfer portal. He was ranked as the seventh-best player in the 2024 class by 247Sports. He was behind DJ Lagway, but ahead of Julian Sayin as the only three five-star quarterbacks. This is going to cause teams to go heavily after both Lagway and Raiola in the portal. Teams will need to decide if Raiola is the right fit for their program, while the quarterback will need to find the right fit as well. Regardless, there will be options and is Raiola can find the right one, he could be heading to the NFL in the future.
