It is a name that sounds like a glitch in the Matrix. If you walked into a sports bar in Lincoln last year and shouted about the Nebraska QB Patrick Mahomes, people wouldn't have corrected you. They would have just pointed toward the kid wearing number 15.
Of course, the real Patrick Mahomes never played a down for the Huskers. He was a Texas Tech Red Raider through and through before becoming the face of the NFL. But for two chaotic, hopeful, and eventually bittersweet seasons, Nebraska had the next best thing. Or at least, they had the closest biological and mechanical replica the world has ever seen in Dylan Raiola.
The "Nebraska Mahomes" wasn't just a lazy media comparison. It was a lifestyle. Raiola didn't just play like him; he looked like him, walked like him, and honestly, the resemblance was bordering on uncanny.
The Mystery of the Mahomes Clone in Lincoln
Let’s get the facts straight for anyone who missed the 2024 and 2025 seasons. Dylan Raiola, a former five-star recruit, flipped his commitment from Georgia to Nebraska to follow in his father Dominic’s footsteps. But from the second he stepped onto campus, he wasn't "Dominic’s kid." He was the "Baby Mahomes."
He wore the 15 jersey. He rocked the signature curly mohawk fade. He even wore the same Oakley sunglasses and did the same pre-game high-point jump. It was a choice. Some fans loved it. Others found it a bit much.
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"I can't get mad at God for making me look like him," Raiola told CBS Sports back in August 2025. He wasn't wrong. But he also wasn't exactly trying to hide it. He spent his offseasons training with Jeff Christensen, the same private QB coach who works with the Chiefs' superstar. He was absorbing the mechanics—the sidearm flings, the no-look passes, the ability to turn a broken play into a highlight reel.
Why the Comparison Stuck
It wasn't just the hair. If Raiola had played like a standard pocket passer, the "Nebraska QB Patrick Mahomes" talk would have died in a week. Instead, he came out and started making throws that made Husker fans rub their eyes.
- The Arm Angles: He could drop his slot to avoid a charging defensive end, just like 15 in Kansas City.
- The Swagger: He played with a certain "I'm the best athlete on this field" energy that Nebraska hadn't seen under center in years.
- The Relationship: This wasn't just a kid fanboying from afar. Mahomes and Raiola actually developed a real mentorship. Mahomes has called him "his guy" and even gave him his personal number for advice.
In 22 starts for the Huskers, Raiola put up some decent numbers: 4,819 passing yards and 31 touchdowns. He completed roughly 69% of his passes. For a program that had been stuck in the mud for a decade, he felt like the savior. Until he didn't.
What Really Happened with the Nebraska QB
Football is a brutal business. While the Mahomes comparisons kept Nebraska in the headlines, the wins didn't always follow. Matt Rhule’s squad went 14-11 over the last two years. That’s not bad by recent Nebraska standards, but it wasn't the College Football Playoff run people expected when a "Mahomes clone" signed the paperwork.
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Then came the injuries. On November 1, 2025, in a game against USC, Raiola’s season ended abruptly with a broken right fibula. It was a gut punch. The air went out of Memorial Stadium.
As the 2026 transfer portal opened up, the rumors started swirling. Would the "Nebraska QB Patrick Mahomes" stay to finish the job? Or was he looking for a bigger stage? On January 12, 2026, we got the answer. Raiola committed to the Oregon Ducks.
The Oregon Twist
The irony is thick here. Just weeks before Raiola left for Eugene, the actual Patrick Mahomes was spotted wearing an Oregon jersey. He had lost a bet to his Chiefs teammate (and former Duck) Jeffrey Bassa after Texas Tech lost to Oregon in the playoffs.
Social media went nuclear. "Raiola saw Mahomes in an Oregon jersey and decided his fate," one fan joked. Honestly, in the world of NIL and 2026 college football, it’s as good a theory as any.
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Fact-Checking the Mahomes Connection
There’s a lot of misinformation out there about these two. Let's clear some of it up:
- Are they related? No. Despite the identical faces, there is no blood relation. Raiola is of Polynesian descent; his father is a Nebraska legend, and his godfather is actually Matthew Stafford.
- Did Mahomes influence the transfer? Probably not directly, but the mentorship is real. They talk often about the mental side of the game.
- Is Raiola still "Baby Mahomes" at Oregon? He's trying to shake the label. He told reporters recently that while he respects the hell out of Pat, he wants to be known as Dylan. Good luck with that when you still have the same haircut, man.
The Actionable Takeaway for Husker Fans
So, where does Nebraska go now? The "Mahomes era" in Lincoln ended without a trophy, but it changed the trajectory of the program. It proved Nebraska could still land the biggest fish in the pond.
If you're a fan or a collector, keep an eye on those Nebraska #15 jerseys. They’re basically 2020s relics now. Moving forward, the Huskers are in a "reset" year for 2026. They’ve got a massive amount of NIL cap space freed up from Raiola’s departure—rumored to be around $2 million—which they’ll need to use to patch a roster that lost its centerpiece.
Watch the portal for a veteran bridge quarterback. Nebraska doesn't need a clone of an NFL MVP right now; they just need someone who can stay healthy and win eight games.
Next Steps:
If you're tracking the 2026 season, keep an eye on the Oregon vs. Nebraska matchup. The dates haven't been finalized yet, but seeing the former "Nebraska Mahomes" return to Lincoln in a green jersey will be the most surreal moment in Big Ten history.
Make sure to monitor the injury reports on Raiola's leg heading into spring ball. A broken fibula is no joke for a guy whose game relies on off-platform movement. If his mobility is capped, the Mahomes comparisons might finally, for better or worse, come to an end.