Tech needs a quarterback, but sources say Raiola isn’t the answer, despite the Mahomes buzz.
Texas Tech has been linked to transfer quarterbacks before the ink dries on portal rumors, but one of the biggest names potentially entering the market doesn't appear headed to Lubbock.
After reports surfaced that Nebraska quarterback Dylan Raiola intends to enter the NCAA transfer portal, On3 insider Pete Nakos shut down the Red Raiders chatter fast.
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"Do not expect Texas Tech to be a factor in Dylan Raiola's portal recruitment, sources tell @On3sports," Nakos posted.
The quick denial matters because Tech has already been connected to Cincinnati quarterback Brendan Sorsby, and the need for experience at the position is real with longtime starter Behren Morton nearing the end of his college run.
The Red Raiders also lost valuable depth when backup Will Hammond tore the ACL in his right knee in October, a setback that clouds his offseason development even if the timeline allows a return in 2026.
Still, the Raiola-to-Tech speculation had a familiar hook ... the Patrick Mahomes parallels.
Raiola has been criticized for leaning into the resemblance - from aesthetic choices to mannerisms - though he's pushed back on the idea that he's trying to be a carbon copy.
"Everybody wants to be like, 'Oh, he wants to be like him,' and all this stuff," Raiola said on CBS Sports' Confidential Conversations. "It just so happens he played baseball, I played baseball. He plays quarterback, I play quarterback. … I can’t get mad at God for making me look like him."
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Mahomes, for his part, has sounded more amused than offended by it all.
"I mean, it's cool, honestly," Mahomes said in 2024. "I was that guy… I loved [Alex Rodriguez]… and it helped me become the athlete that I am. It’s just telling me that I’m getting a little old."
Raiola's portal decision is tied to bigger turbulence at Nebraska. Reuters reported he suffered a broken right fibula against USC and later missed the rest of the season.
Nebraska Public Media also reported that the program fired offensive line coach Donovan Raiola, Dylan's uncle, on Dec. 6.
Meanwhile, Texas Tech's pitch to any veteran QB is obvious ... wins and a runway to something bigger.
The Red Raiders are 12-1, just won the Big 12 title, and earned the No. 4 seed and a first-round bye in the College Football Playoff.
But according to Nakos, that selling point won’t matter to Raiola ... because Texas Tech isn’t expected to be in his recruitment at all.