EXCLUSIVE: 2026 QB Dayton Raiola Discusses Commitment to Nebraska Football

The brother of Nebraska starting quarterback Dylan Raiola, Dayton has announced his commitment to the Huskers.
Nebraska quarterback commit Dayton Raiola taking a snap in high school.
Nebraska quarterback commit Dayton Raiola taking a snap in high school. / Christian Stahl (@thestahlflix) on Instagram
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The 2026 class of Nebraska football commits is off and rolling with a familiar family out in front.

Dayton Raiola, the brother of current Husker starting quarterback Dylan Raiola, has committed to Nebraska. Dayton is also a QB, playing for the same team his brother finished his high school career with in Buford, Georgia. The younger Raiola is 6-1 and 205 pounds, according to 247Sports. While Dylan is right-handed, Dayton is a southpaw.

Dayton announced his commitment Sunday evening and spoke with HuskerMax about the decision.

“I feel like I would be making a mistake if I didn’t go to Nebraska,” Raiola said. “On top of my brother and uncle being there, my sister works in recruiting there now, and my dad was an All-American there. The coaching staff at Nebraska really has shown me real love and I can feel it every time I go up there.”

Dylan has talked plenty about the importance of family, and Dayton feels much the same in choosing the Huskers.

“It is super important to me that I get to join my brother and uncle,” the younger Raiola said. ”There will be lifelong memories that I will remember forever. I mean how many times does somebody get to play with their brother on the same team, yet alone I get to do it twice?”

Raiola said NU essentially sent the house, with a number of coaches involved in his recruitment.

”I really feel like Uncle Donny (Donovan Raiola), coach (Marcus) Satterfield, coach (Matt) Rhule, coach (Glenn) Thomas, and coach (Garret) McGuire influenced it the most because every time they see me there are always big smiles on their faces and that means a lot to me,” Raiola said.

Peer recruiting becomes the name of the game for Raiola, just like it was for his older brother less than a year ago.

“I do have a couple of players in mind and anybody else the coaches want me to hit up I will do for sure,” Raiola said.

While some prospects make their commitment but continue to go on visits, leaving the door cracked, Raiola says Nebraska has him locked down.

“I am 100% locked in and committed to Big Red Nation, no questions asked,” Raiola said.

As for a message to Husker Nation, the newest Nebraska football commit promised to take himself, and his brother, to the next level.

“Husker fans, we got the band back together,” Raiola said. ”Me and Dylan will push each other every day to the best of our abilities and we will have fun doing it! GBR!”

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