Dayton Raiola, the brother of Nebraska star freshman quarterback Dylan Raiola, announced his commitment to the Huskers.
Nebraska has another Raiola on the way. Buford (Ga.) High 2026 quarterback Dayton Raiola — former All-American center Dominic Raiola’s son, current offensive line coach Donovan Raiola’s nephew and star freshman quarterback Dylan Raiola’s brother — announced his commitment to the Huskers this past weekend.
The younger Raiola, who took over for his brother at Buford this season, became the first pledge for the Huskers in the 2026 cycle.
“What excites me most about following the legacy is that I get the opportunity to carry it on,” he told 247Sports. “All the way from my dad, to my uncle, to my brother and now me. It truly is just a special feeling that I can’t put into words.
“I love that it is a pro-style offense that goes under center, goes in the gun, and they run a real NFL pro style offense. I feel like that will get me ready and prepare me for my dream, which is to play in the NFL.”
Raiola, who holds a three-star grade, is the nation’s No. 53 quarterback in the 2026 class and No. 55 overall prospect in the state of Georgia, per the 247Sports rankings.
Earlier this year during Polynesian Bowl week, the 6-foot-1, 205-pound Raiola was a standout at the Warriors 4 Youth showcase in Honolulu, where he made a number of impressive throws and flashed easy arm strength down field.
Stay tuned to 247Sports for breaking news, insight and analysis as prospects across all classes continue to sort through their top contenders all season long.
SEC power rankings Week 5: Georgia, Alabama represents heavyweight bout
Two title contenders are about to go to war.
This is what SEC football is all about. Unbeatens Georgia and Alabama square off Saturday night in Tuscaloosa, the first of several top-10 matchups within league play that will determine the conference championship race and help shape the College Football Playoff picture. In updated SEC power rankings in Week 5, Tennessee is a major mover after a convincing victory at Oklahoma, one of the best of Josh Heupel’s tenure with the Volunteers.
Paced by a defense that stymied the Sooners, this group emerged from the first four weeks of the season with two wins over ranked competition and looks the part as a contender. As a reminder, SEC power rankings are updated weekly and the greatest emphasis is placed on what we’ve seen on the field up to this point. Preseason narratives, placement in national polls … none of that matters.
This is eye-test only and how these teams are projected to fare moving forward.
RELATED: Week 5 College Football Playoff, bowl projections
Here are the updated SEC power rankings in Week 5:
16. Mississippi State Bulldogs (1-3)
(Photo: 247Sports)
Last week’s SEC power ranking: No. 16
Jeff Lebby is trying to build this thing right in Starkville, but his program took some serious lumps over the last three games. The blowout loss at home to Toledo was followed by Saturday’s lackluster showing in the SEC opener against Florida. And now, the Bulldogs must move forward without starting quarterback Blake Shapen, who is out for the season with a shoulder injury. It’s not what a program in transition needed.
15. Auburn Tigers (2-2)
(Photo: USA TODAY Sports)
Last week’s SEC power ranking: No. 11
Auburn tanked in the latest league-wide power rankings after stumbling for a second time at home, another turnover-filled faceplant for Hugh Freeze. His tenure is not going as planned and after the first third of Year 2 on the Plains, the Tigers haven’t found a quarterback, either. Freeze said after the Arkansas game that the Tigers need to stop “throwing it to the other team” to have a chance. With Oklahoma up next, followed by a series of difficult matchups, this season is fading faster than expected.
14. Florida Gators (2-2)
(Photo: David Rosenblum/Icon Sportswire, Getty)
Last week’s SEC power ranking: No. 15
Even with a couple key pieces out at Mississippi State, the Gators manhandled the Bulldogs on the road to snap their string of losses against Power 4 competition under Billy Napier. That’s a step in the right direction, albeit small, for a coach whose future remains in serious doubt heading into Florida’s open date. It’s never a good sign when speculation of potential coaching candidates already surfaced and it’s only September.
13. Kentucky Wildcats (2-2)
(Photo: Jordan Prather, USA TODAY Sports)
Last week’s SEC power ranking: No. 13
Kentucky’s placement in the SEC right now is debatable, but for the most part this season, the offense hasn’t shown enough explosiveness yet to warrant higher billing. Brock Vandagriff hasn’t thrown a touchdown pass since the season opener and struggles up front along the offensive line doomed the Wildcats in both SEC contests against South Carolina and Georgia. It’s hard to believe Kentucky was a fourth-down conversion away from potentially beating the Bulldogs, but that’s how narrow the margins are in the SEC.
12. Vanderbilt Commodores (2-2)
(Photo: Johnnie Izquierdo / Contributor, Getty)
Last week’s SEC power ranking: No. 14
There’s not a player in the SEC right now more important to his team than Vanderbilt quarterback Diego Pavia, who has thrown for 721 yards and six touchdowns without an interception and has accumulated a team-best 279 yards on the ground. His performance at Missouri wasn’t enough to beat the Tigers, but the Commodores took another important stride as a team coming off the loss to Georgia State. That’s important as Clark Lea tries to continue to build.
11. Arkansas Razorbacks (3-1)
(Photo: John Reed, USA TODAY Sports)
Last week’s SEC power ranking: No. 12
If you’re Sam Pittman, you have to be encouraged by the product put on the field through four games heading into Dallas against Texas A&M. The win at Auburn was defense-driven and that was a major question at Arkansas coming into the campaign given the slew of personnel changes on that side of the football. Quarterback Taylen Green will have to be more protective of the football moving forward after throwing a couple picks at Jordan-Hare Stadium.
10. South Carolina Gamecocks (3-1)
(Photo: Ryan Bethea, 247Sports)
Last week’s SEC power ranking: No. 10
For a team projected to hover around five or six wins in the preseason, the Gamecocks are ahead of schedule going into an open date before the string of nationally-ranked opponents in the SEC kicks off the October gauntlet. Asked if he was content at 3-1 overall following Saturday night’s 50-7 win over Akron, South Carolina coach Shane Beamer stopped short of saying he was satisfied.
“Content? No. I am mad that we are not 4-0 and that is a whole other story that we will talk about at the end of the season,” Beamer said, via The Big Spur. “I think if anything, we learned from last week and certainly, that was a really, really tough loss. I have moved on but my wife will tell you, I was watching the TV copy of the LSU game on Thursday night at 10 o’clock at my house just still thinking about things and things that I could have done better in that game to have helped us.”
9. Texas A&M Aggies (3-1)
(Photo: Jonathan Bachman, Getty)
Last week’s SEC power ranking: No. 9
Le’Veon Moss and Marcel Reed — those are the two stars of this Texas A&M offense right now. The Aggies won three straight since falling to Notre Dame in the opener and are favored in Saturday’s matchup with Arkansas. Given the rest of the schedule for both teams, the loser of that one at AT&T Stadium is behind the 8-ball in the SEC picture. The upcoming battle against Missouri holds a great deal of importance if the Aggies get past the Razorbacks.
8. Oklahoma Sooners (3-1)
(Photo: Brian Bahr, Getty)
Last week’s SEC power ranking: No. 8
Brent Venables and the Sooners stay put in the middle of the pack despite falling at home to Tennessee in Week 4. And now, the program has a decision to make at quarterback between Jackson Arnold and Michael Hawkins Jr. The latter led a couple touchdown drives in the second half against the Vols and his mobility was noticeable for an offense struggling on the ground. Saturday’s game against Auburn could be a turning point for Oklahoma.
7. LSU Tigers (3-1)
(Photo: Ryan Bethea, 247Sports)
Last week’s SEC power ranking: No. 7
Losing their best defensive player for the season to a knee injury is disheartening, but this unit will push forward and do what it can without Harold Perkins Jr. the rest of the way. At times, LSU will have to out-score the opposition — like the recent win at South Carolina — to get where they want to be. Garrett Nussmeier has 13 touchdown passes in four starts and the lack of a consistent rushing attack, at least now, hasn’t bothered the Tigers.
6. Missouri Tigers (4-0)
(Photo: Nelson Chenault, USA TODAY Sports)
Last week’s SEC power ranking: No. 6
One of four 4-0 teams in the conference, the Tigers nearly let one get away over the weekend against Vanderbilt. The overtime win against the Commodores was a not-so-friendly reminder to Missouri that in this league, no game is easy. What’s promising for this playoff threat is the Tigers are finding ways to win and executing well in pivotal moments of games this season. The victory over Boston College previously was a momentum-builder and taking care of Vanderbilt to start 1-0 in conference play is essential.
5. Ole Miss Rebels (4-0)
(Photo: USA TODAY Sports)
Last week’s SEC power ranking: No. 2
Ole Miss had to fall to make way for Tennessee’s multi-spot jump, but that’s not an indictment on the Rebels. Truthfully, this team’s full potential is unknown given the cupcake schedule up to this point. They look great offensively with Jaxson Dart, Tre Harris and Henry Parrish leading the charge and Lane Kiffin deserves credit for getting this team up for low-level opposition up to this point. Saturday’s test against Kentucky in the SEC opener will show more.
4. Alabama Crimson Tide (3-0)
(Photo: Getty)
Last week’s SEC power ranking: No. 4
Alabama hit a different gear late in the game against USF, and that continued during a road plastering of Wisconsin. Kalen DeBoer is hoping the Crimson Tide bring that same level of swagger to this week’s showdown with Georgia, potentially the first of two meetings this season between the two SEC titans. Jalen Milroe made several big plays in last year’s SEC Championship to down the Bulldogs and end hopes of a three-peat in the playoff, so there’s no doubt this one’s personal for Kirby Smart and his crew.
3. Georgia Bulldogs (3-0)
(Photo: Dale Zanine, USA TODAY Sports)
Last week’s SEC power ranking: No. 3
Georgia has not allowed a touchdown this season, the only team in college football with that distinction. But take away all preseason narratives and go by what is displayed on the field — do the Bulldogs have the firepower on offense necessary to tackle some of these upcoming road games against elite competition? They’re facing the toughest remaining slate nationally (at Alabama, at Texas, at Ole Miss, Tennessee) and the 42-game regular-season winning streak will be in serious jeopardy.
2. Tennessee Volunteers (4-0)
(Photo: Lance King, Getty)
Last week’s SEC power ranking: No. 5
Tennessee’s defense impressed on the road against Oklahoma, a rare victory away from home against a top 15 opponent for the Vols. For three quarters, Josh Heupel’s team controlled the line of scrimmage, and that’s an area of strength that should come in handy against Alabama and Georgia. Those are the only two games left against ranked teams, which means Tennessee is in great shape to reach the expanded college Football Playoff if this keeps up.
1. Texas Longhorns (4-0)
(Photo: Tim Warner, Getty)
Last week’s SEC power ranking: No. 1
Arch Manning did not look like one of college football’s top quarterbacks in his first career start against ULM. A couple touchdowns and a couple turnovers led to a “C” grade from coach Steve Sarkisian, who wanted to see better decisions from the redshirt freshman. He’ll likely get the nod again this week against Mississippi State while Quinn Ewers continues to heal. There’s no need to worry given two more weeks prior to Red River against Oklahoma. When at full strength, Texas looks like the best team in the country.
Top247 QB Deuce Knight: Where will he end up?
Where will Top247 quarterback Deuce Knight end up when the dust settles? Will he stick with Notre Dame or flip his commitment? A team of 247Sports experts dive into his recruitment and break it all down.
Lucedale (Miss.) George County Top247 four-star quarterback Deuce Knight is one of the most coveted prospects in the entire country for the 2025 class. The 6-foot-5, 205-pounder committed to Notre Dame over plenty of programs way back on Sept. 18, 2023. Despite that pledge, Knight has since taken trips to other programs throughout his process, including Alabama, Auburn, Ole Miss, and, of course, Notre Dame.
As we inch closer to December’s early signing period, there is still some uncertainty surrounding his eventual landing spot. Will he stick with his longtime pledge to Marcus Freeman and the Fighting Irish? Can Hugh Freeze convince him to flip to Auburn? Is Lane Kiffin going to keep him home with the Rebels?
247Sports’ experts teamed up for this feature — “Where will he end up?” — to discuss the potential landing spot of 247Sports’ No. 34 overall prospect.
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