While many young quarterbacks across the football landscape have taken it upon themselves to emulate the style of Kansas City Chiefs superstar Patrick Mahomes, Nebraska rising star Dylan Raiola has often found himself the target of equal parts social media praise and backlash for his similar style of play, number choice, and overall look.
Raiola established himself as one of the better sophomore quarterbacks in the country during his second season in Lincoln, but he decided to hit the transfer portal. No. 15 has finally decided on the next program he will call home, and it may not be the one everybody was expecting.
Raiola was reportedly interested in Texas Tech, which would have made his Mahomes' performance even more committed. However, after the Red Raiders handed a handsome chunk of change to Cincinnati quarterback and fellow 2027 NFL Draft prospect Brendan Sorsby, Raiola was left to take his talents to the Pacific Northwest by joining Oregon.
If Dante Moore goes back to school, which may be more likely than ever before after his subpar Peach Bowl loss against Indiana, Raiola might be limited to a backup role that will send his professional stock tumbling down.
Dylan Raiola fails to follow in Patrick Mahomes' footsteps, joins Oregon instead of Texas Tech
Raiola completed 72% of his passes in his second season with the Cornhuskers, throwing 18 touchdowns against just six interceptions despite having just one slam-dunk NFL player (running back Emmett Johnson) alongside him. There's not that much to work with.
If Moore returns to school, it seems like a virtual certainty that Raiola would be the backup in 2026. Heading to that uneven situation, especially on an Oregon team that lost both its coordinators to head coaching jobs and will see multiple key starters join the NFL, may not be the best thing for his NFL stock.
Then again, even if Raiola falls a few rounds based on his performance (or lack of) next year, perhaps the Chiefs might link up with him in the 2027 NFL Draft. Given Mahomes' recent injury, burning a mid-round pick on a backup quarterback of Raiola's caliber might not be the worst idea ever.