Nebraska’s 2026 class received a jolt with the decommitment of QB Dylan Raiola’s younger brother, Dayton Raiola. Much has been said about its implications for the Huskers’ QB1’s future. However, the decision made sense for analysts who cover the program.

Dayton committed to the Huskers in September 2024. On November 19, 2025, he decided to look for other options, just two weeks before the early signing day. The decommitment meant that Nebraska doesn’t have a single QB in the 2026 class. But there are reasons for that. A crowded QB room and Nebraska’s present trajectory.

“They (Dayton’s family) knew at that point, too, or at least this summer, that Trey Taylor was coming in the 2027 class, and he’s the real deal,” shares insider Greg Smith in a conversation with Rivals’ Josh Newberg on November 23. “Now, they did not know that TJ Latif would turn out to look the way that he looked last week against UCLA.”

Dayton Raiola, ranked 100th as a quarterback in the Class of 2026, exhibits promising potential. But for the Huskers, Trey Taylor, who is coming off as the No. 4 QB in the Class of 2027, is the guy they want to succeed Dylan. The QB1 was forced to sit out for the season due to an injury, and that opened the doors for Latif, who led Nebraska to an impressive victory against the Bruins. That meant that the QB1 and QB2 roles are settled, at least for now. Even redshirt freshman (Purdue transfer) Marcos Davila is showing impressive development, as head coach Matt Rhule put it.

That complicated things for Dayton’s path to lead the offense. We’re not talking about next year. However, with Taylor coming in, even a possibility in the future seemed uncertain.

Moreover, before news broke that Dayton is parting ways with Nebraska, Matt Rhule had stated that the next incoming batch would be a smaller class, adding not more than one or two additional recruits. The focus would be on developing and retaining his players, keeping his core intact. Presently, there are only nine commits in the Class of 2026.

Another possible reason might be Nebraska’s ability to make it to the playoffs.

Did Nebraska’s 2025 season play a part?

Rhule’s three-year gold charm had Huskers fans waiting for a spark. However, with four losses on the 2025 resume so far, Nebraska’s playoff dreams have failed to take off. Although the loss to Penn State came after Dayton’s decommitment, a three-loss slate had already had fans disappointed with a heavy heart.

“What if the situation is that the family really has questions about the future of Nebraska football and how close they are to the college football playoff, and about trying to maximize Dylan’s draft stock? I think that those are real conversations,” Smith continued, making sense of the decision.

After sustaining a broken fibula while taking a hit against USC, Dylan Raiola is sitting it out for the rest of the season. As a sophomore, he still has more time to develop under Rhule’s watchful eyes. At the same time, the QB himself had a complex recruiting journey. He transitioned from Ohio State to Georgia before settling down at Nebraska, where he successfully improved the team’s performance under Matt Rhule’s guidance.

We don’t know the exact reason for Dayton’s surprising decision. While recruiting him, Rhule had missed out on Jett Thomalla. A four-star recruit from Omaha, who has thrown 58 touchdowns so far in his senior year in high school. The situation seems even stranger due to Raiola’s connection with Lincoln. Dayton’s father, Dominic, was an All-American center, and his uncle, Donovan, coaches the Huskers’ offensive line.

“This is going to be a thing that is going to be fascinating to see unfold here over the next couple of weeks as we get ramped up to the portal,” Greg added.