Dylan Raiola’s Brother Was The Talk of College Football on Thursday

Originally posted on Athlon Sports | By Matt Wadleigh | Last updated Aug 15, 2025 12:44 AM ET

Nebraska Cornhuskers quarterback Dyaln Raiola threw for 2,819 yards with 13 touchdowns and 11 interceptions as a freshman. His second season in the NCAA is expected to be a strong one, and Matt Rhule's program has drawn rave reviews from analysts such as David Pollack.

Dylan's dad, Dominic, was a star lineman at Nebraska who went on to also play for the Detroit Lions, so football runs in the family. Dylan's younger brother, Dayton, is a quarterback in the Class of 2026 who has also committed to Nebraska and has a three-star rating, per 247Sports.

On Thursday night, Dayton opened plenty of eyes. Buford (GA) and Milton (GA) faced off in a massive high school showdown, one that was televised on ESPN and marked the first game in Buford's new $62 million stadium.

Dylan Raiola's Brother Catches Plenty of Attention

While Dylan and his Nebraska team are set to begin the 2025 season with a lot of eyes on them, Dayton kicked off his senior year of high school in impressive form.

Dayton's team, Buford, defeated Milton, 20-13, despite Milton winning back-to-back Georgia high school football championships and bringing a 25-game win streak into the game.

As a result, a lot of talk was about Dayton Raiola on Thursday night.

"Nebraska QB commit Dayton Raiola checked all of the boxes tonight in the Buford season opener," On3's Bryan Munson wrote.

"Dayton Raiola lookin real smooth in his opening HS game," one fan said.

"Dayton Raiola is nice," one fan wrote. "Dayton Raiola has some pretty impressive arm talent. Clearly improved from last season!" another wrote. "Dayton Raiola looking SOLID," another stated.

In the first half, Raiola was 10-of-14 for 141 yards with a late interception, although Buford held a 10-7 lead at the break.

Still, he had plenty of highlight plays, including flashing his running ability early in the game.

Dayton Raiola, brother of Dylan, showing off his legs as the High School Football Kickoff gets underway on ESPN2 pic.twitter.com/Ue7OHfqEyl
— SportsCenter NEXT (@SCNext) August 14, 2025

Raiola also showed his arm strength, throwing a 61-yard pass that was incomplete but ended up being called for defensive pass interference.

Dayton Raiola showing off the arm strength with a 61 yd toss drawing a flag #GBR pic.twitter.com/3UkRJ7NfC6
— Pavelka’s Fat Uncle (@pavelkasuncle) August 14, 2025

In the second quarter, Raiola again flashed his talent with a beautiful throw that put Buford right into scoring position.

Dayton Raiola with his best throw of the game by far. Finished this drive with a 17 yd completion then a short TD by his back. #GBR pic.twitter.com/S6qYgYGfRi
— Pavelka’s Fat Uncle (@pavelkasuncle) August 14, 2025

In 2024, Dayton threw for 1,953 yards with 19 passing touchdowns and only three interceptions while leading Buford to a 12-2 record.

Although Dylan is entrenched as Nebraska's starting quarterback, Cornhuskers fans might be excited to see what the future has in store for their program.

All in all, Dayton threw for over 150 passing yards while leading Buford to three scoring drives and the win in impressive fashion on Thursday, with a lot of eyes watching in person and on television.

Buford's next game is on August 22 on the road against Benedictine, but so far, so good for Dayton.

This article first appeared on Athlon Sports and was syndicated with permission.

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