Nebraska Cornhuskers quarterback Dylan Raiola has a lot to live up to, not just because of his game, but also because of the frequent comparisons to Kansas City Chiefs quarterback Patrick Mahomes. In a recent conversation, Raiola opened up about the comparisons and finding his own footing.
"It ain't cap. It's real love." @HuskerFootball QB Dylan Raiola discussed his relationship with Patrick Mahomes w/ his teammates,” the official handle of CBS Sports college Football posted on social media.
"Everybody 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. Every time a little kid around here is like, 'Yo, mini-Mahomes!' I'm like, 'What'd you say? What's my name?’ I'm trying to be my own guy. It ain't cap. It's real love. [Mahomes] is cool, bro. He knows what it is."
Godson to Los Angeles quarterback Matthew Stafford, Raiola found a supporter in Cornhuskers’ coach Matt Rhule as well, who recently spoke about the need to distinguish between the pair. "The one thing that bothers me when people look at [Raiola] is the Mahomes comparisons -- that's just cheapening who he is," he said on his podcast ‘House Rhules’. "So, yeah, he follows the greatest quarterback playing the game right now. He's 19 years old, why wouldn't he? He knows the guy."
The Raiola-Mahomes relationship
{{/usCountry}}Godson to Los Angeles quarterback Matthew Stafford, Raiola found a supporter in Cornhuskers’ coach Matt Rhule as well, who recently spoke about the need to distinguish between the pair. "The one thing that bothers me when people look at [Raiola] is the Mahomes comparisons -- that's just cheapening who he is," he said on his podcast ‘House Rhules’. "So, yeah, he follows the greatest quarterback playing the game right now. He's 19 years old, why wouldn't he? He knows the guy."
The Raiola-Mahomes relationship
{{/usCountry}}Over time, Raiola has had the chance to develop a personal bond with the Chiefs quarterback. He even visited his locker room during last season’s AFC championship celebration. More than word-of-mouth resemblance, the pair also share common ground in their personal quarterback trainer, Jeff Christensen. On the contrary, Raiola has often equated his bond with Mahomes to that of a mentor.
"I'm not comparing myself to Kobe or anything, but like Kobe did to Mike, that's kind of like me to Patrick," Raiola said during an appearance on the ‘Cover 3 Podcast’. "He's one of the best quarterbacks in the league right now, if not the best. For me to have someone to look up to, talk to, call, or whatever. The comparisons are kind of everything outside. I can't control God made me look like this and play the same sports."
The former five-star recruit finished the 2024 season with 13 touchdowns against 11 interceptions and struggled late with just four scores to nine picks over his final eight games, as reported by CBS Sports. This time, he comes better prepared after actively developing a cardio routine, shedding body fat, and adding lean muscle.
Raiola is in line to open the Cornhuskers’ 2025 season on Mahomes’s home turf against the Cincinnati Bearcats on Thursday (August 28) at Arrowhead Stadium in Kansas City.
– With inputs from Stuti Gupta