Dylan Raiola must not have known. He couldn't have known. Could he?
Raiola chose to transfer away from Nebraska, and he chose Oregon. A logical spot. Except that Dante Moore isn't entering the NFL Draft. The Ducks' starting QB is back for the 2026 season.
And now what? Raiola just gets to be a backup?
There were reports even before Raiola transferred that he'd be open to that possibility, but it all seemed kind of pointless. It still seemed like Moore would enter the draft.
Raiola must've had at least some read on the room when he was there, but it's doubtful he knew for sure what Moore would do.
Moore announced his choice to return to school on Wednesday, and everyone wants to figure out what Raiola is doing.
He did get hurt midway through the season, so maybe he had some doubt about being ready to open the season anyway. Maybe he figured it could serve as a pseudo-redshirt season, and by the time he takes over, he'll have a full grasp of what Oregon does.
But this is a guy who was the No. 1 QB in his recruiting class and committed to Georgia. His flip to Nebraska was shocking, but it allowed him to start as a true freshman.
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Every key statistic improved for Raiola in his sophomore season from his first year. He's clearly on the rise toward realizing his potential.
And now he's in a situation where he'll have to sit an entire year (or have a wildly entertaining and controversial QB competition with Moore).
Raiola has made a habit of transferring. Who's to say he'll even see this through and stay at Oregon until becoming the 2027 starter?
This is just really, really weird. There won't be a more overqualified backup QB in college football next season than Raiola.
And in a sport with more than 100 teams just at the FBS level, it's bizarre that he ended up at a place that will now return its high-profile starter for next season.
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