Nebraska quarterback Dylan Raiola knows the comparisons are inevitable. Fans, media and young kids alike see Patrick Mahomes when they see him — the same hairstyle, the same athleticism, the same pregame flair. But Raiola insists it’s not about imitation, it’s about circumstance.
“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.”
Raiola has developed a personal relationship with the Kansas City Chiefs quarterback and three-time Super Bowl champion, even visiting the locker room during last season’s AFC Championship celebration. Both share the same personal quarterback trainer Jeff Christensen.
That bond only adds to the intrigue as Raiola opens the 2025 season on Mahomes’ home turf. Nebraska kicks off against Cincinnati on Thursday night at Arrowhead Stadium in Kansas City.
For Raiola, the Mahomes connection is less about mimicry and more about mentorship. He has compared it to the relationship Kobe Bryant once shared with Michael Jordan — an opportunity to absorb lessons from one of the best while still carving out his own identity.
“It ain’t cap. It’s real love,” Raiola said. “… [Mahomes] is cool, bro. He knows what it is.”
The sophomore quarterback’s network of mentors doesn’t stop there. Raiola, the godson of Los Angeles Rams quarterback Matthew Stafford, said he has also begun recently connecting with seven-time Super Bowl champion Tom Brady.
Nebraska coach Matt Rhule, who has defended Raiola amid the constant comparisons, said fans should recognize the difference between influence and…
Source link : https://www.cbssports.com/college-football/news/nebraska-qb-dylan-raiola-jokes-he-cant-get-mad-at-god-for-patrick-mahomes-resemblance/
Author : Cody Nagel
Publish date : 2025-08-25 22:50:00
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