Some thoughts on Dayton Raiola’s confusing decommitment from Nebraska

Recruiting always comes with surprises, especially as Early Signing Day approaches. On Wednesday, that proved true for Nebraska as long-time quarterback commitment Dayton Raiola backed off his pledge.

His decommitment from Nebraska football was first reported by Chad Simmons of Rivals. His older brother is the starting quarterback for the Huskers, but is currently out for the season after suffering an injury against USC. His uncle is also the offensive line coach.

Yet, there won’t be a third Raiola joining Nebraska. The three-star quarterback who plays for Buford, Georgia, is ranked No. 1,784 in the 2026 class, according to the 247 Sports composite rankings. He’s the 100th-best QB in the class.

Raiola has just two other listed offers. It didn’t even seem like another program is/was recruiting him, so the decision is hard to understand. Nebraska football also passed up the chance to recruit other quarterbacks, namely, in-state QB Jett Thomalla, who is an Alabama commitment, in order to keep Raiola.

That felt like a mistake at the time. But it seemed like the Huskers didn’t want to rock the boat. Now, Raiola isn’t even going to sign with Nebraska football.

It’s hard to say it’s connected to his brother. That’s a leap. However, if there ends up being a QB competition between Lateef and Raiola heading into next season, depending on how the next two games go, maybe Raiola would opt to leave in the portal instead of competing for the job.

In that sense, it doesn’t make sense for Dayton to be at Nebraska if Dylan isn’t. He’s a developmental prospect who probably doesn’t get a committable offer without his last name. That’s not being critical. No other Power 4 program showed any interest.

That’s what makes this even more confusing.