Oregon turns to Brock Thomas over Dylan Raiola for Nebraska game

Oregon is set to start Brock Thomas at quarterback against Nebraska on Saturday, October 17, according to CBS Sports, giving him his first career start while Dante Moore recovers from a concussion. The change puts Dylan Raiola on the bench after Oregon's 17-15 loss to UCLA.

CBS Sports' Matt Zenitz and Chris Hummer reported the decision after Thomas took most of Oregon's first-team practice reps during the week. 247Sports separately reported that Thomas was likely to start over Raiola.

Why Oregon changed quarterbacks after UCLA

Oregon coach Dan Lanning said the decision took account of both the UCLA performance and the quarterbacks' work during the week. He acknowledged that some of the situations Oregon put Raiola in had not given him successful opportunities. Lanning also pointed to ball security as a consideration while noting that Raiola had played well against USC.

Moore was listed as out on Wednesday's Big Ten availability report, Sports Illustrated reported. The starter's concussion had opened the position for Raiola, a transfer from Nebraska. Thomas's relief appearance against UCLA then changed the immediate choice facing Oregon for Saturday's game.

Brock Thomas's experience before his first start

Thomas is a Eugene native who joined Oregon as a walk-on in the 2023 recruiting cycle, CBS Sports reported. Despite his time in the program, he has had little game experience: the outlet counted 36 career pass attempts, including the 15 he made against UCLA. He did not attempt his first pass for Oregon until September 2025, when he went 0-for-1 against Oklahoma State.

Thomas remained with Oregon while quarterbacks including Bo Nix, Dillon Gabriel, Moore and Raiola stood ahead of him. His UCLA appearance supplied Oregon with a recent performance to evaluate, but the Nebraska game is scheduled to be his first start.