Illinois' Aaron Henry Impressed By Patrick Mahomes' Clone: 'Cat Is Different'

Illini defensive coordinator Aaron Henry likes what he sees out of Nebraska quarterback Dylan Raiola

Sep 7, 2024; Lincoln, Nebraska, USA; Nebraska Cornhuskers quarterback Dylan Raiola (15) passes against the Colorado Buffaloes during the third quarter at Memorial Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Dylan Widger-Imagn Images | Dylan Widger-Imagn Images

Defensive coordinator Aaron Henry is well aware of the talent Nebraska quarterback Dylan Raiola brings to college football.

Ahead of the ranked-versus-ranked matchup Friday night (8 p.m. ET/7 p.m. CT on Fox), Henry, who is in his second season leading the Illini, broke down his intangibles Raiola. Henry said he is one of the sport's most underrated passers. He even went far as to compare him to three-time Super Bowl champion Patrick Mahomes of the Kansas City Chiefs.

"First and foremost, the quarterback, that cat is different," Henry said. "He's as good as advertised. Obviously, there's a lot of reminiscing to Pat Mahomes. The young man is a big-time player in his own right." 

A five-star recruit coming out of high school, Raiola has led the Cornhuskers to their first 3-0 start under coach Matt Rhule. Like Illinois' Luke Altmyer, he has played rather stellar thus far, including a 247-yard, two-touchdown performance in a 34-3 win against Northern Iowa last week.

Henry said Raiola's freshman jitters are not noticable either, which is common in most quarterbacks trying to learn a new playbook.

"Just for a young player to come in and command that offense the way he does, he does a tremendous job," Henry said. "Guys are rallying behind him ... Probably one of the key pieces is that you've got a quarterback, he's a freshman but you can throw all that out of the window." 

Raiola has thrown one interception through three games and has thrown at least one touchdown in each of his starts, making his measure of consistency expected.

Illinois is attempting to knock off Nebraska for the first time since 2022, falling 20-7 in Champaign last year in Rhule's first season.

Zain Bando is a contributor to Illinois Fighting Illini On SI. He can be reached at zainbando99@gmail.com or follow him on X @zainbando99

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