College football at the D1 level is all about sacrifice, and it doesn’t always mean you’ll secure a spot on the team. For Dayton Raiola, brother of quarterback Dylan Raiola, sacrifice meant letting go of nearly 10 years of quarterback training for a chance. But it’s not a guarantee to play alongside his brother at Oregon.

On February 4, recruiting insider Chad Simmons hopped onto X and revealed Dayton’s Raiola’s leap of faith into uncertainty.

“Dayton Raiola of Buford, Ga commits to the Oregon Ducks, but he won’t play QB in Eugene.”

Dayton is sacrificing being a gunslinger, the position he played all through high school, just to make sure he and his brother can be on the same roster in Eugene. The word is that Dayton is transitioning to play tight end or H-back at the college level.

“Staying with Dylan was a very big part of my decision,” Dayton said. “He’s like my best friend. We grew up doing everything together. We push each other every day and hold each other accountable. If he’s not doing enough, I’ll tell him. If I’m not doing enough, I know he’ll tell me. We played together from youth football to middle school, high school, and now college. It’s pretty surreal. Not many kids get to do that.”

The younger Raiola spent his whole childhood training as a quarterback. He even led Buford High School to a perfect 15-0 season and a Georgia 6A state championship as a signal-caller, with over 2,200 yards and 26 touchdowns.

It’s not like he had no options or offers. Multiple schools wanted him to play quarterback. He had offers from Appalachian State and Charlotte, and he was even a long-time commit to Nebraska before Dylan Raiola transferred to the Oregon Ducks. By the look of his decision, it wasn’t that hard a choice.

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“What made them stand out speaks for itself, it’s just Oregon,” he said. “Growing up in Hawaii, Oregon was always right there. Marcus Mariota, the Polynesian presence, that’s a big factor for me. Being around my people from back home means a lot.”

Dayton even got a head start on his new role, as he played a few snaps as a tight end during the Polynesian Bowl. The former 3-star QB is fully confident about the move.

“It’s something Oregon brought up, and I actually liked the idea right away,” Raiola said. “I played my first game at a tight end in the Polynesian Bowl against some of the best competition in the world, and I didn’t do too bad. I’ve been catching passes from my brother in the backyard my whole life. Now I’ll just be doing it for real.”

As wholesome as it may sound, this move carries real risk because he has never played tight end in a truly competitive game.

The cons of going from QB to a tight end

Moving from the “protected” quarterback spot to a high-impact role like tight end involves a massive learning curve. And to survive in a physical conference like the Big 10? At 6’1 and 225 pounds, Raiola might appear a bit undersized in a 6’5 world of tight ends.

On top of that, he’ll be entering a very crowded tight end room at Oregon. They already have elite talent like five-star recruit Kendre Harrison and Jamari Johnson.

Many past players have transitioned to long careers. Logan Thomas, a Virginia Tech star quarterback, was drafted by the NFL as a QB. Vanderbilt’s Eli Stowers, after losing a QB competition, switched to tight end, became an All-SEC selection in 2024, and entered 2025-2026 as one of college football’s top tight ends.

More importantly, Kelce was a two-star quarterback, a case very similar to Dayton’s. After coming back from suspension, he made a switch to tight end. Rest is history. End of the day, it’s a scary leap of faith, but one he’s clearly willing to take to keep the Raiola legacy together.