If you’ve watched any Nebraska Cornhuskers’ games this season, you may have noticed that five-star quarterback Dylan Raiola looks an awful lot like Kansas City Chiefs quarterback Patrick Mahomes.
Well, this is by design.
Raiola wears No. 15, copies Mahomes’ haircut and facial hair, and even wears similar clothes and sunglasses off the field. But what does Mahomes think of this?
Dylan Raiola’s Strong Resemblance to Patrick Mahomes
Raiola has gone viral multiple times for being a Mahomes doppelgänger.
When he showed up for the first day of Nebraska’s fall camp, Raiola was wearing ski glasses, and the internet was understandably stunned by his resemblance to Mahomes.
Five-star QB Dylan Raiola pulled up to Nebraska camp looking like Patrick Mahomes: pic.twitter.com/imwoJXecvW
— Adam Schefter (@AdamSchefter) July 31, 2024
The second time was when FOX’s broadcast showed footage of Raiola getting off the bus prior to Nebraska’s season opener against UTEP. Fans couldn’t believe just how much Raiola looked like Mahomes — down to his haircut, facial hair, and style.
Patrick Mahomes?????
— Overtime (@overtime) August 31, 2024
Most recently, Raiola went viral for finding a new way to copy Mahomes: mimicking his pregame ritual. Prior to every game, Mahomes runs toward the end zone, jumps in place, and yells to get the fans fired up.
Raiola is now doing the exact same thing prior to every Nebraska game.
Dylan Raiola takes his Patrick Mahomes pregame ritual VERY seriously 😮 pic.twitter.com/GSkn0N3sic
— FOX College Football (@CFBONFOX) September 15, 2024
What does Mahomes think of Raiola replicating everything from his appearance to his mannerisms?
Mahomes Responds to the Viral Clips of Raiola
It turns out Mahomes and Raiola actually have a relationship. On social media, Mahomes often refers to the Nebraska quarterback as his “lil cuzzo.”
Recently, Mahomes was asked about Raiola essentially becoming his Mini-Me. The three-time Super Bowl champion and two-time NFL MVP is flattered by Raiola’s imitation.
“It’s cool, honestly. I was that guy; I grew up watching players. I loved Alex Rodriguez and played shortstop and would try to make plays just like him, and it helped me become the athlete that I am,” Mahomes said.
“It’s just telling me I’m getting a little old. That’s the biggest thing. You have these guys that are coming up and they’re doing the side-arm thing and everything like that.
“But I know Dylan; I train with him in the offseason. He’s a great kid and a great football player, and I think he’s gonna make his own stamp on the game — I think you’re seeing that early in his career.”
Patrick Mahomes on #Huskers QB Dylan Raiola:
"It's cool, honestly. I was that guy, grew up watching players. I loved A-Rod, played SS, would try to make plays just like him. It helped me become the athlete that I am. It's just telling me I'm getting a little old." #ChiefsKingdom pic.twitter.com/0Fi9lMRzv3— Jared Koller (@JaredKCTV5) September 11, 2024
Mahomes added that Raiola isn’t focused on the social media reaction; instead, he’s putting his team first and is focused on leading Nebraska to wins, which he’s done thus far.
This season, the Cornhuskers are 2-0, and the freshman quarterback has thrown for 423 yards and three touchdowns with a 73.7% completion percentage.
As Mahomes mentioned, he and Raiola have trained together in Kansas City over the offseason. Raiola “patterns a lot of his game” after Mahomes, according to Nebraska head coach Matt Rhule, which is a big reason why he wanted to work out with his idol and his trainer, Bobby Stroupe.
“I’ll go work with Pat and Bobby. I’m just trying to up my game and be around great people. I just want to be around greatness,” Raiola said.
“Obviously, he’s going down as one of the greats already. But just trying to take it all in and elevate my game as much as I can.”
Mahomes has taken Raiola under his wing, and he often celebrates his highlight plays on his social media accounts.
Going forward, all eyes will be on Raiola to see if he can duplicate Mahomes’ talent and career path the same way he has his hair and style.