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Dayton Raiola, a quarterback in the 2026 class and the younger brother of Nebraska freshman phenom Dylan Raiola, announced his commitment to Matt Rhule and the Cornhuskers on Sunday night.

Raiola, a 5-foot-11, 215-pound junior, is Nebraska’s first pledge in the 2026 cycle and is not currently in ESPN’s high school prospect rankings for the class.

The younger Raiola replaced Dylan as the starting quarterback at Georgia’s Buford High School after he left for college and has led the Wolves to a 4-1 start this fall.

With his commitment, Raiola becomes the latest member of the family to land at Nebraska. The Raiolas’ father, Dominic, was a two-time All-Big 12 selection with the Huskers from 1997 to 2000 before spending 14 seasons in the NFL with the Detroit Lions.

Donovan Raiola, Dominic’s brother, has spent the past three seasons as Nebraska’s offensive line coach following four years coaching with the Chicago Bears, and Raiola’s older sister, Taylor, is a graduate manager in Nebraska’s recruiting department.

“THE LEGACY CONTINUES #OHANA #COMMITTED,” Dayton Raiola wrote in an announcement on social media.

Dylan Raiola was ESPN’s No. 1 pocket passer and the No. 11 overall prospect in the 2024 class. He initially committed to Ohio State in May 2022 before he reopened his recruitment later that year.

On May 15, 2023, Dylan Raiola committed to Georgia, and he held his pledge to the Bulldogs until his late flip to Nebraska days before the early signing period opened.

Dylan Raiola, the top prospect in the Huskers’ 2024 class, was officially named the program’s starting quarterback Aug. 21. He led Nebraska to its first 3-0 start since 2016 prior to Friday’s 31-24 overtime defeat to Illinois.

Through four games, he has completed 72.2% of his passes for 967 yards with eight touchdowns and two interceptions.

Unlike his brother, Dayton Raiola is left-handed. He has made frequent visits to Nebraska since his brother committed to the program, including trips to campus for the spring game and the Huskers’ win over Colorado in Week 2.

Rhule’s incoming 2025 class includes top-100 outside linebacker Christian Jones and four other ESPN 300 commits. As of Sunday, Nebraska’s 2025 class ranks 23rd in ESPN’s latest team rankings for the cycle. Nebraska (4-1) visits Purdue in Week 5 after falling out of the AP Top 25 on Sunday.

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Chavez, 41, signs minor league deal with Rangers

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Chavez, 41, signs minor league deal with Rangers

ARLINGTON, Texas — Veteran right-hander Jesse Chavez has agreed to a minor league contract that includes an invitation to spring training with the Texas Rangers, the team that drafted the 41-year-old pitcher nearly 23 years ago.

The Rangers also on Monday signed right-hander David Buchanan, outfielder Cody Thomas and catcher Chad Wallach to minor league deals with invitations to big league spring training.

Chavez was 2-2 with a 3.13 ERA in 46 games last season for Atlanta. He has a 51-65 record with a 4.25 ERA in 653 career games (85 starts) over 17 seasons with nine different teams. He was a World Series champion in 2021 with the Braves.

Texas took Chavez in the 42nd round of the 2002 amateur draft, and traded him four years later to Pittsburgh, where he made his big league debut in 2008.

He was 6-6 with a 4.58 ERA in 96 games (nine starts) for the Rangers from 2018-20. He signed with Texas as a free agent before the 2018 season, was traded to the Chicago Cubs later that summer and then re-signed with Texas in free agency before the 2019 season.

The 35-year-old Buchanan made one relief appearance for Cincinnati last season, his first MLB game since 36 starts for Philadelphia from 2014-15 until pitching three seasons in Japan and four in Korea.

Wallach hit seven home runs in 65 games for the Los Angeles Angels in 2023, and spent all of last season with their Triple-A team. Thomas, a left-handed hitter who played in 29 games for Oakland in 2022 and 2023, hit .263 with two homers and 19 RBI in 79 games in Japan last year.

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Rangers create TV network to produce, air games

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Rangers create TV network to produce, air games

ARLINGTON, Texas — The Texas Rangers have created a new company to oversee production and distribution of their game broadcasts.

The MLB team on Monday unveiled the Rangers Sports Media & Entertainment Company. That company will include the new Rangers Sports Network (RSN) and the existing REV Entertainment that is the team’s official sports and entertainment partner and official booking agent for events at its current and former stadiums.

“One of the main goals when seeking solutions for Rangers television broadcasts was to give fans more access to our games,” Rangers majority owner Ray Davis said. “We determined that the best path toward providing our fans with more options is to handle many of the broadcast obligations in-house.”

The Rangers earlier this month entered into a multiyear agreement with A Parent Media Co. Inc. (APMC) to stream Rangers regional games directly to consumers on the Victory+ service starting this year. The team said then that service, which will cost $100 to access games for a full season, was the first step in providing multiple viewing options after several seasons of access issues, but still hasn’t revealed details about additional options.

Formation of the Rangers Sports Network comes before the anticipation of deals for local TV rights to have games air through traditional cable providers along with some limited over-the-air broadcasts. The Rangers have more than 16 million households in their broadcast territory over parts of five states.

Neil Leibman, who is part of the team’s ownership group, will be chairman of the Rangers Sports Media & Entertainment Company, relinquishing his previous team responsibilities as COO and president of business operations. Jim Cochrane, a 28-year veteran of the Rangers front office, was promoted to executive vice president and chief business officer.

The Rangers previously had their regional broadcasts on Bally Sports Southwest, part of the financially troubled Diamond Sports Group that went through a bankruptcy reorganization. The team’s deal with Diamond expired at the end of last season. Bally Sports Southwest was not available through some cable companies and many popular streaming platforms.

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Orioles agree to 1-year deal with OF Carlson

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Orioles agree to 1-year deal with OF Carlson

BALTIMORE — The Baltimore Orioles agreed to terms with Dylan Carlson on a $975,000, one-year contract Monday, a couple of months after the outfielder was non-tendered by the Tampa Bay Rays.

Carlson was a first-round draft pick in 2016 by the St. Louis Cardinals, and he hit 18 home runs in his first full season in 2021. Since then, however, he’s hit only 16.

Carlson hit .209 with three home runs and 25 RBIs in 96 games for the Cardinals and Rays in 2024, but at age 26 the switch-hitter may still have some upside and can play all three outfield spots.

The Orioles lost right fielder Anthony Santander to Toronto via free agency, and they’ve added outfielder Tyler O’Neill. Also in the mix for playing time in the Baltimore outfield are Cedric Mullins, Colton Cowser and Heston Kjerstad.

Carlson’s deal includes a $25,000 bonus if he reaches 200 plate appearances.

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