How Dylan Raiola Prepared For A Moment He Didn’t Know Was Coming

Dylan Raiola was texting Dan Lanning all week. He'd heard one thing about USC in a press conference and spotted something else while watching film. So Raiola, Oregon's backup quarterback, made sure his head coach knew he was focused, even though he was unlikely to take a snap against the Trojans last Saturday. Raiola wanted to be helpful and proactive, just in case. Former Oregon running back Kenjon Barner, who starred for the Ducks from 2009-2012, knows what that looks like. He believes athletes succeed when they buy into their role and approach every opportunity with purpose. "The best environment an athlete can thrive in is one where he knows exactly what’s expected of him, and what his job is," Barner told me. "My former coach always told us, 'don’t count your reps, but make your reps count.' Once you have that mentality, it changes everything." Raiola had embraced that mentality. The best backups, whether they're quarterbacks or play another position, prepare as if they're going to start. They study, stay ready and look for ways to contribute, even without first-team reps. We don’t always see that effort pay off. But in Raiola’s case, it did. The Nebraska transfer was thrust into Saturday's game against USC early in the second quarter after Oregon starter Dante Moore took a hard hit to the head. Moore, a Heisman Trophy candidate and projected first-round pick in the 2027 NFL Draft, had led the Ducks to the College Football Playoff semifinal last season. After receiving attention from the training staff for several minutes, Moore was taken off the field on a stretcher before leaving in an ambulance. It was later announced that he had suffered a concussion, but did not have any additional injuries. Moore and Raiola are close friends and have developed something of a mentor-mentee relationship. So while Raiola was visibly shaken up after seeing his teammate go down, there wasn’t much time to dwell on it. He had to lock in and take over. "Every guy had faith in him," Lanning told reporters after the Ducks’ 41-27 win at the LA Coliseum. "He was ready for his moment." Raiola’s story is well-known by now. Originally from Buford, Georgia, he was a five-star prospect in the 2024 class who initially committed to play for Kirby Smart and the Georgia Bulldogs before flipping to play for Matt Rhule and the Cornhuskers. Raiola started 22 games at Nebraska until he broke his leg last November, ironically against USC. He transferred to Oregon in the offseason, and shortly after, Moore announced he would be returning for his senior year. Raiola's situation was unusual in the transfer portal and NIL era, when players often change schools in search of more playing time or better monetary opportunities. Coming off a major injury, Raiola knew he could learn from Moore, who had gone through a similar transition after transferring from UCLA to Oregon ahead of the 2024 season and sitting behind Dillon Gabriel. "Dillon laid the foundation and Dante stood on that foundation," Barner said. "Now, you have a situation where you have two starting-caliber, elite-level quarterbacks in Dante and Dylan, and they both push each other to be great. "I don't think there is another QB room in the country that has what Oregon has right now with two great quarterbacks." Raiola had barely seen the field this season, earning his first meaningful snaps when he completed 11-of-11 passing attempts in garbage time of Oregon’s 84-0 rout of Portland State in Week 3. He certainly wasn’t expecting his next opportunity to come against USC. "It's complicated," Raiola said following the win over the Trojans. "You don't ever want to see someone be hurt, especially how much he [Moore] means to me, how much he teaches me, how much he means to the team." It was an emotional few moments after Moore was carted off the field. Lanning said everybody wanted to "go get in a street fight," but the Ducks remained composed and chose to honor their teammate by winning the game. Raiola leaned on the preparation he’d done earlier in the week, while offensive coordinator Drew Mehringer adjusted the game plan to better suit his backup’s skill set. On Raiola’s second play of the game, he found wide receiver Evan Stewart for a 3-yard touchdown pass to give Oregon a 10-7 lead. There were only a few times Saturday night when Raiola made a decision that caused Lanning to think, "OK, that’s not where we wanted the ball to go." For the most part, Lanning was impressed by Raiola’s ability to execute the offense, get rid of the ball when necessary and avoid taking sacks. He finished the night 19-of-25 passing for 289 yards and two touchdowns. "To step into that spot with so much pressure speaks volumes about the professional that Dylan Raiola is," Barner said. "When you watch that kid play, he doesn't allow anything to affect him. He remains the same player every week — calm, cool, collected, completely in control of the offense." That composure, Lanning said, is a reflection of the growth Raiola has made since first arriving in Eugene. "I’m very proud of Dylan," Lanning said following the game. "That moment happens in sports a lot of times when guys aren’t ready and that becomes the story. Like, ‘Oh, that guy wasn’t ready for his moment.’ And regardless of how Dylan would have performed, I love that guy. He works so hard — so incredibly hard — to put himself in that position to be successful." Lanning then highlighted how Raiola handled the moment once he got onto the field. "He came in, and he operated, man, and we’ve seen that go other ways before," Lanning said. "To know he put in the work, the prep, was ready in his moment, and then didn’t come in and try to force it. He just played the game, man. I can’t say enough great things about Dylan and how he operates. That’s why he came here." On Monday, Nebraska coach Matt Rhule, who coached Raiola for two seasons, was asked about his former quarterback during his weekly press conference. "There’s no doubt that Dylan is an elite quarterback," Rhule told reporters. Oregon, now 4-1 and ranked No. 15 in the AP Top 25 Poll, is idle this week before diving into the heart of its conference schedule. The Ducks host No. 23 UCLA on Oct. 10 and will travel to play No. 5 Ohio State on Nov. 7. After rallying to beat Boise State in its opener and falling to Oklahoma State the following week, Oregon has put itself in position to make another CFP run. There’s no timetable yet for Moore’s return. But if Raiola is needed again, he’s shown he’s ready. "I never knew when my moment was going to happen or what to expect," Raiola said. "The ultimate goal is to win, no matter how it happens, no matter, sadly, whoever goes down. The game of football doesn't feel sorry for us. We’ve got to step up and keep fighting and those guys in that locker room did just that. Coming in on the road and doing what we did is not normal."