Dylan Raiola's Oregon career could play out wildly different than the expectations

This offseason the Oregon Ducks made one of the biggest moves in the Transfer Portal landing Dylan Raiola. After arriving at Nebraska with sky-high expectations, Raiola had some highs and lows leading to his departure. Given how much pressure landed on Raiola over the past two years and how he became the main focus of the program, parting ways was likely best in many ways for both sides.

Given how Dante Moore went from a similar situation at UCLA, everyone points to Raiola following a similar path behind Moore before returning to a starting role next season. While the broad expectation may be that Dylan Raiola directly follows the Dante Moore blueprint, that may not be the case for the Ducks this season or next year.

Dylan Raiola could easily never start at Oregon

The expectations for Dylan Raiola may be way bigger than the most likely reality as it's highly possible that he never ends up starting a game for the Ducks. While Raiola comes to Eugene with starting experience, a big name, and a ton of talent, that doesn't always guarantee that he'll instantly slide into the starting role when Dante Moore heads to the NFL.

This season, Dylan Raiola may not even serve as Oregon's true backup to Dante Moore with Brock Thomas returning to the quarterback room. Thomas was Moore's direct backup last season, and it's clear the program is high on him as he served as the quarterback at Pro Day this year. Given all the experience Thomas has in the offense and how good he looked this Spring, he may be the number 2 to Moore again this season.

When it comes time to replace Dante Moore next season, Brock Thomas may not be the only quarterback that Dylan Raiola has to outduel either. Akili Smith Jr came to Oregon as a highly sought after recruit, and while he doesn't have a ton of experience, he has all the physical tools to continue developing into a threat over the next year.

Add in that Oregon is going to get a close look at Dylan Raiola, and while he may present himself as a strong option to replace Dante Moore, the Transfer Portal could have other ideas. The Ducks constantly go big game hunting in the Transfer Portal, and with the push to win a National Championship in Eugene, if one of the best quarterbacks in the country hit the market like we see every season, the Ducks would likely pursue it.

The true wildcard in Oregon's quarterback picture could very well be current Oregon commit Will Mencl. The Ducks were on Will Mencl early in his recruitment, and as he continues to rise up rankings and showcase that he's an elite talent at showcase events, it's certainly possible he arrives in Eugene and instantly factors into the Ducks competition.

Landing Dylan Raiola this offseason was a wise move by the Ducks with the expectations for this season. If Dante Moore is to miss time this season, Oregon atleast has a quarterback with starting experience in the Big Ten that they could potentially turn to. He clearly has a ton of talent, and with Raiola willing to take a step back, it's certainly worth exploring if the Ducks could tap into his talent.

There's also a reason that Dylan Raiola was available in the Transfer Portal, and willing to take a backup role. Raiola has a ton of areas in his game where he'll need to improve over the next year, and while many expect that he'll slide right into the starting role next season, he'll need to show that level of improvement, otherwise the Ducks will explore all options.

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