Dylan Raiola’s future at Lincoln is a major cautionary tale for Matt Rhule and the Cornhuskers. Raiola’s broken fibula injury against USC tragically sidelined him for the rest of Nebraska’s games this year. Additionally, it also dents his NIL value by around $1.2 million as major endorsements reassess their involvement. The situation itself screams of a transfer for the 20-year-old. However, former Nebraska alum Ben Eisenhart offers a reality check that’s quite sad for Nebraska fans.

“You are going to stand there and tell me that a kid who went to 4 high schools in 4 years, committed, decommitted, and committed to 3 different universities might be entering the Transfer Portal?” Nebraska alum Ben Eisenhart wrote on X about Dylan Raiola’s transfer rumours. It’s true, actually, that Raiola’s path in college football has been everything but loyalty. But did we see him leaving Nebraska at all? Absolutely not.

Dylan Raiola is the highest-paid player in Nebraska. He made about $3.5 million this season alone, putting him near the top of all college football earners. The injury itself would limit Raiola from having a head start in the 2026 season. It has also thrown a wrench into what looked like a clear path for his final year of college. This offseason will feel different from last year, when Raiola’s camp informally tested the waters about transferring but ultimately decided to stay after a talk with Coach Matt Rhule.

Now, things are “tenuous” partly because of Dayton Raiola, Dylan’s younger brother, who just decommitted from Nebraska’s 2026 class. The dilemma strikes harder because Dylan has flirted with his recruitment in the past, and there is no guarantee he won’t do that this time. Raiola first committed to Ohio State, but he backed off and jumped to Georgia. Then he flipped again, choosing to sign with Nebraska because of his family ties. He stuck around for the 2025 season, too, even after other programs tried to pull him away.

A trail like this makes it more difficult to believe that Dylan wouldn’t pull the same move this time, even with being sidelined. Matt Rhule has made his stance pretty clear as reports about Dylan’s transferring started to enter his DMs. “I haven’t seen that report,” Rhule said during his press conference on Wednesday. “Haven’t seen that, so I don’t know anything about that. I would never get up here and talk about a player.”

Dylan Raiola ending a family legacy at Lincoln? 

With Dylan Raiola’s current résumé, there will be no program that wouldn’t be happy to take in the 20-year-old. This season, Dylan Raiola put up 2,000 yards with 18 touchdowns and six picks before going down. Add that to last year, and he’s sitting on 4,819 yards, 31 touchdowns, 17 interceptions, and a 69% completion rate. It’s basically the kind of résumé that makes him one of the top portal targets out there. And yeah, plenty of programs are already jumping into the mix.

First up, Miami Hurricanes. They desperately need a new QB after Carson Beck’s eligibility ends. Miami’s been a quarterback factory lately, with offensive coordinator Shannon Dawson turning portal QBs into first-round NFL picks like Cam Ward last season. And Raiola’s dual-threat style fits perfectly in that system. Plus, Miami has the deep pockets to meet Raiola’s big-money NIL demands and can surround him with weapons to light up the field.

Next, Penn State. The Nittany Lions are in a bit of a quarterback crisis after Drew Allar’s season-ending injury. Allar’s done for good, and the Nittany Lions need a proven, high-level signal-caller to keep their Big Ten and College Football Playoff hopes alive. Financially, Penn State has the muscle to compete for a player of Raiola’s calibre. Last but not least, Arizona State is hoping to fill the potential void left by Sam Leavitt. The Sun Devils QB is going through the same scenario as Raiola with a season-ending injury.

While Arizona State isn’t spending its full NIL allotment, it’s willing to go all-in on a talent upgrade. Coach Kenny Dillingham’s track record in developing QBs and Raiola’s dual-threat ability would bring a new dynamic to their offensive game plan.