When the Oregon Ducks were able to get Dante Moore to return to Eugene for one final season, it quickly eliminated what likely would've been a need at quarterback in the transfer portal. While the Ducks didn't need to add an experienced quarterback, the coaching staff did it anyway, making major waves by adding Nebraska's Dylan Raiola.
Dylan Raiola arrived at Nebraska as the potential savior with his ties to the program and picking the Huskers as a 5-star QB despite heavy interest from the top programs. After spending two seasons as a starter, Dylan Raiola easily could've found a school to take him as a starter, but he opted to follow the same path as Moore, taking a backseat to focus on developing.
Dan Lanning praises Dylan Raiola's development after Fall scrimmage
The goal for Oregon will be to have Dylan Raiola learn the offense behind the scenes while developing his skills, with the hope of having him step into the starting role when Dante Moore heads off to the NFL. Based on his Nebraska tape, Dylan Raiola has a ton in his game to clean up to be counted on as the starter, but the talent is clearly there.
The coaching staff got a great look at Raiola as a raw product this Spring right after he arrived on campus, and the first look at his growth the staff truly got came with the first scrimmage of the Fall on Saturday. When asked about what he saw from Dylan Raiola and if he's grown from the Spring to the Fall, Dan Lanning had a ton of praise for his newest quarterback.
"Dylan has gotten a lot better. He looks like a night-and-day different player from when he got here in the spring. With that being said, there's moments already from today that we've got to improve — that's something we've got to attack. And that's the case for every single player on the team, not just Dylan."Dan Lanning
Dan Lanning's praise for Raiola and calling him a "night-and-day player" from what he saw in the Spring is exactly what every Oregon fan would've hoped for. While Dan Lanning highlighted that he still has areas to improve in, Raiola was never going to be a finished this soon after his move from Nebraska.
This season, Dylan Raiola needs to be able to fill one specific role, which is that, in the case that Dante Moore gets injured, he'll need to show he's capable of being a solid backup quarterback. Oregon has plenty of talented players in the quarterback room, but none of them have the game experience that Raiola brings to the room.
A college football season isn't always about the results that year, but development throughout the year can go a long way toward building a succesful program. Dan Lanning and his coaching staff have shown every year that they develop players at a high-level, and Raiola could be the next major success story for the Ducks.
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