ESPN host poses transfer QB who Luke Fickell should go "all-in" for and it's terrible

Luke Fickell is in desperate need of a top-tier quarterback to bring Wisconsin back to relevance. He has one year to prove that he can be a Power-4 coach, and it will take a quarterback that can run a consistent (cough...complimentary...cough) offense. Jim Rutledge of ESPN Madison has a name that he thinks Fickell should chase, but it's a terrible idea: Dylan Raiola.

Should Wisconsin go after Dylan Raiola in the transfer portal?

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The transfer portal doesn't officially open until January 2, but Raiola has declared that he plans to enter as soon as he can. He's a high-profile quarterback and has the tools to be elite, but it's a risk that Fickell can't really take.

Raiola brings a big personality and a lot of media attention, and his skills don't exactly match it. His numbers in 2025 for Nebraska were middle of the road, but for as much attention as he commands, you'd think he was putting up top-10 numbers. He had 2,000 yards with 18 touchdowns, good for 88th and 45th, respectively.

The bigger thing to consider, though, is the ability to win. The Cornhuskers went 6-3 and won zero big games. They basically won only the games they were supposed to win on their relatively easy schedule. They lost to Michigan, Minnesota, and USC.

He would certainly be an upgrade for the Badgers at quarterback, but the risk is the price tag and the personality, not getting the output that Luke Fickell needs to save his job. There's not a lot of upside.

Rutledge didn't really have a solid reason why he wanted Raiola; he said in the clip posted online, "Luke Fickell won't be getting Power-4 coach money unless he's winning this year, so I'd go all in and get Dylan Raiola." When asked why Raiola specifically, he answered, "I don't even know if he's good or not, it invigorates the program... Camp Randall is sold out if he's your starting quarterback."

I don't know if that's true; in fact, I have a feeling many fans would be a bit underwhelmed and nervous about seeing him as the starter next season, even though he's a clear upgrade over what the Badgers were rolling out this year.