The Nebraska Cornhuskers’ pursuit of a more prosperous 2025 is unwavering. Year 2 with Matt Rhule at the helm entailed more of the same. Amidst scattered moments of greatness were plenty of moments of growth. On a positive note, this fabled program finally breached the 6-win bowl eligibility criteria after 7 long years. An adept summation of the Huskers’ season would be that it was a tryst with threatening to break into something special. This was epitomized by their true freshman quarterback Dylan Raiola.

Matt Rhule and co. saw 5 of their 6 losses come by one-score margins. Getting begrudgingly close is bound to have been a learning experience for their young core. Imagine what would have transpired with a little more luck and depth in the roster. As the team looks to cut this one-score deficit, they’ve turned to the transfer portal for help. 

The Huskers have acquired the services of another freshman QB, Marcos Davila. The 4-star prospect from the class of ‘24 comes over to Lincoln from Purdue, where he redshirted last season. Davila has drawn sensational, if not hyperbolic, comparisons to Patrick Mahomes. That will make him right at home in the Huskers’ QB room with Mahomes’ doppelganger Dylan Raiola.

In a video posted on his namesake YouTube channel, Nebraska fan and insider Wilson Dittman did a film study of Marcos Davila from his high school days at Midland Legacy in Texas. “Gunslinger quarterback, great deep ball accuracy, good [at] general stuff from the pocket, very smart quarterback [and] good progressions…absolute stud” was the conclusion he came to for Marcos Davila. Dittman indeed explicitly concurred with the comparisons to Mahomes’ style of play. 

“There’s a reason why Purdue fans were mad to see him going and there’s a reason why he’s called Patrick Mahomes 2.0. We got two Patrick Mahomes 2.0’s now, with [Davila] and [Raiola]!” he remarked. Matt Rhule’s offense is yearning for a force-multiplier under centre, who can facilitate and propel his skill-position players. With Dylan being a mixed bag this season, could a QB controversy be brewing in Lincoln?

Dylan Raiola’s early season woes are a cause for uncertainty around his status as QB1

Dylan Raiola began his Nebraska career with pomp. Through the first 5 games, he threw  9 touchdowns to go with merely 2 picks. Great platform to build on after the uncanny Mahomes resemblance caught on. However, he has since turned into the 2024 version of Patrick- sans the clutch 4th quarters. 2 TDs and 8 INTs in the following 5 games later, a regression was apparent. The final 2 games of the season, however, saw an upheaval in performances. This was courtesy of Dana Holgorsen being hired as OC.

Seeking to permeate experience into a young quarterback via osmosis, Matt Rhule promoted Dana Holgorsen through the ranks to be offensive coordinator. Holgorsen first came over to the Huskers in a consultant’s capacity after being given his marching orders as HC of the Houston Cougars in November 2023. With a figure of Holgorsen’s ilk calling plays and teaching him the ropes, Raoila inadvertently ended the season on a high. The Huskers, by extension, profited by making bowl eligibility.

In all likelihood, Dylan Raiola will remain QB1 on the depth chart. Marcos Davila will perhaps have to bide more time and deputise him, at least initially. However, with Davila breathing down his neck, Raiola will need to ascend to the level expected of him when he stepped into CFB. Matt Rhule and Dana Holgorsen probably wish they could fuse the duo and get even closer to Patrick Mahomes spearheading the Nebraska offense.