Nebraska freshman QB Dylan Raiola is on fire tonight sweeping up all the admiration tonight at their Illinois clash. He’s already secured his second touchdown after connecting with Isaiah Neyor on both the passes to complete 148 yards with the clock running in the second quarter. Unsurprisingly, Patrick Mahomes was dragged into the picture as his athletic abilities impressed the spectators.
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Dylan Raiola earned the respect of the announcers through his playmaking skills, heaping a comparison to his NFL idol Patrick Mahomes. An X post on September 21 reminded us of Tim Brando’s perception between the look-alikes — “The only difference between Dylan Raiola and Patrick Mahomes is size.”
“The only difference between Dylan Raiola and Patrick Mahomes is size.” — Tim Brando
— Riley Gates (@Riley_Gates) September 21, 2024
Still, the difference in their sizes is also nearly non-existent. The 3x SB champion has a slightly smaller build at 1.88m tall and 225 pounds while the 19-year-old is 1.90m tall and weighs 230 pounds. The comparison between the two began when Dylan Raiola made headlines entering Nebraska’s fall camp looking just like Patrick Mahomes. He wore mirrored blade sunglasses and rocked the familiar Mahomes Mohawk hairstyle. Not only that, he also wears the same number 15 that Mahomes wears in the NFL. Despite these copying acts, the NFL MVP played the good sport.
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Patrick Mahomes is cool with Dylan Raiola
Dylan Raiola is already on fire in his freshman season, showcasing both arm strength and accuracy and quick decision-making abilities. And he learns that by watching Mahomes’ films and emulating his style. Even Nebraska HC Matt Rhule said this of Raiola when he watched his play for the first time, “I texted our recruiting guy and he asked how [Raiola] looked, and I said, ‘He’s [Patrick] Mahomes.”
Despite the stardom Dylan Raiola is getting through Mahomes, the Chiefs signal-caller is cool about it and even calls his young doppelganger “Lil cuzzo.” He even backed Raiola’s obsession saying that he was in the same shoes growing up as he watched Alex Rodriguez and tried to make plays like him. He added, “It helped me become the athlete I am (today).” Raiola has shown dominance in his last three games leading the Huskers to a 102-20 record. Will he be able to exceed everyone’s expectations to surpass the hype of the idol he takes effort to emulate? The season is looking bright for Nebraska with Dylan Raiola leading them as the highest-rated recruit. Still, more challenges will come when they meet elite programs like Ohio State and USC in their upcoming games.
With the season rolling, get more insights into college football from our exclusive interview with Doug Sanders.
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Edited by
Jagriti Choudhry