EUGENE - Dylan Raiola arrived at Oregon with a lot to learn, a lot to prove and a lot of attention following him. Now, one Ducks receiver says the quarterback is starting to look like a different player.
Jeremiah McClellan, who has been able to watch Raiola up close as a locker neighbor, said the change has been obvious since spring football. What began as a new quarterback trying to find his footing has turned into someone looking more settled, quicker and far more at ease in Oregon’s offense.
“I would say from Dylan, whenever he first got here in the spring, you could tell he was a little timid, a little nervous, just into a new system and things like that,” McClellan said.
That first impression has given way to something much sharper in fall camp.
“And now, just him being more comfortable, watching him like today, he had an amazing throw,” McClellan said after Oregon's 13th fall football practice.
McClellan said the work away from the field has mattered too, since the two are locker neighbors and have had plenty of chances to build chemistry.
“I just had to compliment him in there again today,” McClellan said. “He’s my locker buddy, so he’s getting way more comfortable on offense, learning, playing fast too now. So, he’s doing amazing.”
That same theme showed up in Dan Lanning’s assessment after Oregon’s first fall scrimmage.
“Yeah, Dylan’s gotten a lot better,” Lanning said. “He looks like a night-and-day different player from when he got here in the spring.”
Raiola’s path to Eugene was already unusual. He joined Oregon in the winter of 2026 and did so knowing Dante Moore’s return was a real possibility, even though Raiola had already made his decision before Moore elected to forgo the 2026 NFL Draft. That left Raiola in the role of a backup who may be one of the most talked-about reserves in college football.
The challenge has not been simple. Raiola has had to absorb a new playbook while also working back from the broken fibula he suffered when he first arrived in Eugene. He’s now healthy after breaking his right fibula in November of 2025, which ended his sophomore season at Nebraska.
His resume explains why Oregon wanted him in the room. Raiola started right away as a freshman for the Cornhuskers and threw for 2,819 yards, the most by any FBS freshman, while setting Nebraska’s freshman passing record. He also helped Nebraska get to its first bowl game since 2016.
Even in 2025, before the injury shut him down, Raiola completed 72 percent of his passes despite poor protection.
Now he’s one of several quarterbacks in a crowded Oregon room that also includes junior Brock Thomas, who won the backup job last season, redshirt freshman Akili Smith Jr., sophomore Ryder Hayes and redshirt freshman Mark Wiepert. Raiola has two years of eligibility left.
Moore remains Oregon’s established leader on offense, but Raiola’s progress gives the Ducks another high-level option at the sport’s most important position. It also gives them a rare succession plan: a former Big Ten starter with time to develop behind Moore instead of being thrown into the fire.
Raiola, for his part, said the environment has pushed him to keep improving.
"That's the beauty about this place is there's constant growth, and you can never, you're never going to be allowed to be just satisfied and be okay where you're at. So in order to get where we want to go, we've got to keep pushing, and our team is willing to do that, and I'm very excited," Raiola said.
The transition is still ongoing. But from what McClellan and Lanning have seen since spring, Raiola is starting to look and play like he fits.
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