Five-star quarterback Dylan Raiola is the No.1 QB recruit in the nation in 2023. He has been a converted recruit, gaining offers from almost all big football programs. Raiola is an extremely talented player with his roots set deep in the football world.
As a football fan, you may recognize the name. Raiola has family ties not only to college football but also to the NFL.
Dylan Raiola’s Family Ties
Raiola’s dad and uncle both played football, with his uncle now coaching in college football. His dad went on to have a long NFL career and is a Cornhusker great.
Despite the connection, as a quarterback, Raiola has deviated from playing offensive line like his dad and uncle. Still, the decision looks to have paid off as one of America’s most talented high school recruits.
Who Is Dylan Raiola’s Dad?
The Raiola family is steeped in Nebraska football.
Dylan’s dad is Dominic Raiola, who had a 14-year career in the NFL. Dominic played center for the Detroit Lions between 2001 and 2014 and was drafted in the second round of the 2001 NFL Draft after being a huge success in Lincoln.
At Nebraska, Dominic had a great career. In his three seasons with the Cornhuskers, he was a two-time All-Big 12 selection and was a linchpin of their offensive line. In 2000, he would help Nebraska win the rushing title, finishing the season with the team ranked eighth and a win in the Alamo Bowl over Northwestern.
He won the Dave Rimmington Award, given to the best center in college football, in 2000, as well as being a finalist for the Lombardi Award and Outland Trophy in the same year.
Dominic is such a legend at Nebraska they even retired his No. 54 shirt.
MORE: College Football Transfer Portal Tracker
His NFL career was also strong. Dominic played in 219 NFL games, starting 203. In 2014, he became the first player in Detroit’s NFL history to start 200 games.
Dominic is now a proud father and is helping Dylan along the way. While they may play different positions, the genes still run strong. Speaking to the Detroit Free Press, Raiola said about Dylan’s size, “Coaches would tell him like, You’re too big to play quarterback.”
He even went on to share a story of quarterback Jon Kitna visiting the family home, “[he] said, ‘Don’t let anybody tell you you’re not a quarterback,’ and Jon told me, ‘He’s going to be the No. 1 player in the country one day.’ This was in eighth grade. This was before we moved to Texas. Jon told me that in eighth grade. I was like, ‘Yeah, come on, man.’ He was actually a better baseball player than he was a footballer.”
On how he is helping to coach Dylan, Dominic said, “I’m still like, Hey, you could have helped your tackle there if you moved this way, and you better catch every snap. If it drops straight down, it’s your fault, and catch the shotgun snaps. So I’m still very pro-lineman in that sense.”
Who Is Raiola’s Uncle?
Dylan’s uncle is Donovan Raiola, Nebraska’s current offensive line coach.
Donovan had a football-playing career before starting his career as a coach. Like his brother, Donovan also played center.
As a player, Donovan attended Wisconsin but went undrafted in 2006. His NFL career never took off after spending his time between 2006 and 2011 floating around different practice squads.
After deciding to call time on his playing career, Donovan entered the coaching landscape, becoming the offensive line coach at Kapalama High School in 2012. He went on to be an assistant at Notre Dame before becoming an offensive line coach at Aurora University in Illinois.
After a season with Aurora, Donovan transitioned to an assistant offensive line coach in the NFL with the Chicago Bears before taking on the job of offensive line coach with Nebraska.
Miss any action from the top college QB Rankings during the 2023 football season? Want to track all the movement with the college football’s transfer portal? College Football Network has you covered with that and more!