Why would someone become a backup QB when he has already been starting for the past two seasons? Dylan Raiola is taking that gamble, sitting behind Dante Moore at Oregon in 2026. It’s not the best scenario for the former Huskers QB1, according to a prominent CFB analyst. However, it remained something that had to be addressed, considering his situation with Matt Rhule at Nebraska.

In an ideal scenario, Dante Moore would have gone to the NFL in 2026, given his high draft stock. Moreover, Raiola would have been the leading man under the Ducks’ center. But according to Josh Pate, the plan of sitting behind, learning, and making a comeback in 2027 can also pay off massively.

“You watched Dylan Raiola just like I did, and the rest of America did this year. And you saw flashes, and you saw glimpses. You didn’t see anything close to a finished product,” Pate said on the Rich Eisen show.

Despite a promising 2024 campaign where he threw for 2,819 yards and 13 touchdowns, Raiola’s development hit a wall in 2025, and it wasn’t for a lack of personal effort.

He slimmed down as Matt Rhule wanted, lost around 15 pounds, and even participated in team bonding sessions. 2025 was going to be his year.

Except Nebraska’s O-line collapsed and failed to protect him. The unit allowed 30 sacks, ranked 107th in the country, and Raiola’s fractured fibula became a heartbreaking concern. Against Minnesota, the unit gave up 9 sacks, the fewest in Rhule’s tenure. Furthermore, the Cornhuskers’ redzone efficiency sank and hovered below the 70% benchmark. The result?

Dylan Raiola, in an injury-hampered 2025 season, passed for just 2,000 yards even though his accuracy at 72.4% improved. The Oregon move was just a desperate attempt at redemption for Raiola, even if it meant sitting behind Dante Moore.

“I just think it’s Dylan looking at the situation and saying Dante Moore once upon a time went to Oregon knowing Dillon Gabriel was there, and he committed there anyway, Josh Pate said.

He was happy sitting behind a guy for a year and marinating in a new system cuz he thought it would serve his best interest, and lo and behold, now Dante Moore has been the starting quarterback at Oregon, and he shone. So Dylan Raiola is looking at that saying I’m leaving Nebraska.”

Matt Rhule’s offense clearly lacked overall balance for any QB to function. Despite hiring Dana Holgorsen as head coach, there was no visible improvement. The lack of explosive plays limited the team, and Nebraska struggled to convert on third downs. But all of it starkly changes in Oregon.

While Nebraska sits 81st nationally in rushing offense, Oregon ranks 20th. The same is true in many key areas, and Dylan will thrive in no time at Oregon.

Oregon will bolster Dylan in key areas

Oregon has become a consistent playoff team under Dan Lanning. Since college football expanded to 12 teams, Oregon has made the playoffs every year. The team has also shown dominance with transfer QBs, too, making Dylan’s path easy.

In 2024, Oregon had Dillon Gabriel, an Oklahoma transfer. He thrived, passed for 3,857 yards, led Oregon to the playoff quarterfinals, and finally got drafted in the third round.

Dante Moore, in turn, came from UCLA, waited behind Gabriel, and has now passed for 3,565 yards in 2025, earning a top-5 draft pick prediction by Mel Kiper. His decision to come back isn’t driven by his low draft stock but by making Oregon’s natty dream a reality. Dylan Raiola could easily learn behind him in 2026 and become the next Bo Nix, given his tangibles.

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The Ducks’ offensive line was one of the best in the country. They allowed just 14 sacks and ranked 16th nationally, a top-20 finish for three years straight. As a result, Dylan will get more time in the pocket, pressure will be less, and run blocking will provide an added dimension for the former Huskers QB.

Oregon also has continuity with Coach Drew Mehringer, who is now the OC after being promoted internally. All signs now point to a prudent move on Dylan’s part in securing his future away from Nebraska.