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More Dylan Raiola-Patrick Mahomes Comparisons Roll in During Nebraska-Illinois Clash

The No. 15 in Lincoln looks a bit similar to the No. 15 in Kansas City.

Tom Dierberger

Through three games, Raiola has thrown for 670 yards, five touchdowns and one interception on 59-of-80 passing.
Through three games, Raiola has thrown for 670 yards, five touchdowns and one interception on 59-of-80 passing. / Dylan Widger-Imagn Images
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The similarities between Nebraska quarterback Dylan Raiola and Kansas City Chiefs star Patrick Mahomes are well documented at this point.

Raiola, a five-star quarterback from Georgia, showed up to the Cornhuskers' camp this summer rocking a similar haircut, facial hair, sunglasses and shoes that Mahomes typically sports. Raiola also wears a red No. 15 jersey, and his pregame rituals to hype up the crowd look awfully like the routine Chiefs fans have witnessed at Arrowhead Stadium throughout the years.

During the No. 22-ranked Cornhuskers' battle against No. 24 Illinois, Raiola looked quite like Mahomes with his play on the field. He did his best Mahomes impression with a side-arm throw in the first half.

Later on, in the closing minute of the first half, Raiola threw a dot while off-balance to receiver Isaiah Neyor for an 11-yard touchdown. A very Mahomesian pass.

At halftime, Raiola and the Cornhuskers led Illinois 17–10 in front of another sellout crowd at Memorial Stadium. Raiola tallied 156 passing yards, two touchdowns and one interception while completing 16 of 23 attempts through the air.

"Man, it's cool," Mahomes said last week of Raiola doing his best imitation of the three-time Super Bowl champion. "I was that guy. I grew up watching players—I loved Alex Rodriguez. When I played shortstop, I tried to make plays just like him. It helped me become the athlete that I am.

"It just tells me that I'm getting a bit old. That's the biggest thing. You have these guys coming up and doing some of the side-arm stuff and everything like that."

There are far worse options to replicate on the gridiron than Mahomes. So far, it's working out quite well for Raiola and Nebraska.

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Tom Dierberger
TOM DIERBERGER

Tom Dierberger is a staff writer and editor on the Breaking and Trending News team at Sports Illustrated. He joined SI in November 2023 after stints at FOX Sports, Bally Sports and NBC Sports. Dierberger has a bachelor's in communication from St. John's University. In his spare time, he can be seen throwing out his arm while playing fetch with his dog, Walter B. Boy.

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