Nebraska Quarterback Dylan Raiola Compares Patrick Mahomes Relationship to Kobe Bryant & Michael Jordan

It’s been pretty well documented since he broke on to the scene in Lincoln. Nebraska quarterback Dylan Raiola looks an awful lot like Kansas City Chiefs quarterback Patrick Mahomes.

Dylan Raiola channeling his inner Patrick Mahomes before the game today 👀 pic.twitter.com/I6NBucOFCg
— FOX College Football (@CFBONFOX) October 26, 2024

Not only does the physical appearance check out, Raiola also acts like the three-time Super Bowl champion. The pre-game rituals are eerily familiar. Even Raiola’s mannerisms mimic how Mahomes walks and gestures during a game. Understandably, whenever someone “copies” another, it can come under ridicule, and Raiola has seen his fair share of criticism online. Social media is a peach like that.

Dylan Raiola on his way to the barber after Mahomes got a haircut. pic.twitter.com/xlRJVKZVT3
— William DingleBalls (@pgpeen) February 18, 2025

However, during Tuesday’s kickoff to Big Ten Media Days, the Nebraska signal caller sat down with CBS Sports, and it didn’t take them long to dive into the uncanny resemblance between the two quarterbacks.

“Your relationship with Patrick Mahomes is well-documented,” CBS Sports Analyst Danny Kanell started in. “I’m sure you get tired of being asked about it sometime, but does it ever get to you? Does it add pressure to you? Is it something you embrace getting compared to him? I mean, you’ve got the look, you’ve got everything down, but just that relationship – does it add pressure to you to perform?”

How Raiola responded next certainly raised some eyebrows not only of the CBS Sports team looking at him, but of the Big Red Faithful.

"No matter where he saw me, it was a challenge.” MJ on Kobe Bryant#MambaForever 💜🐍

(Via @Lakers)pic.twitter.com/znRQnWpKNY
— Sports Illustrated (@SInow) April 9, 2020

“No, it doesn’t,” Raiola said. “It’s kind of just the lens, I look through it. You know, I’m not comparing myself to Kobe (Bryant) or anything, but like what Kobe did to Mike (Michael Jordan), that’s what it is for me to Patrick.”

After making the statement, the CBS team leaned back in a bit of surprise. However, for a sophomore quarterback that learned a ton in year one in Lincoln, it doesn’t surprise many inside the locker room that Raiola has his sights set on a Kobe-like path to the NFL. Sure – he’s not skipping college altogether like Kobe, but you get the gist.

Patrick Mahomes squaring off against the Philadelphia Eagles in Super Bowl LIX at Ceasars Superdome. | Mark J. Rebilas-Imagn Images

“He’s one of the best quarterbacks in the league right now, if not the best,” Raiola said of Mahomes. “Just for me to be able to have someone to look up to, talk, call, whatever. Kind of, the comparisons is everything outside right? I can’t control (it). God made me look like this, (we) play the same sport. It’s all love. Football is a great game. It provides great opportunities for everybody, so it’s pretty cool.”

Lil cuzzo!! 💪🏽🎯 https://t.co/PpjiPf2XVc
— Patrick Mahomes II (@PatrickMahomes) August 31, 2024

Even Mahomes has publicly talked about Raiola since his arrival in Lincoln, affectionately referring to him often as ‘Lil Cuzzo. A lot still needs to happen on the field before anyone will crown Raiola as the next Kobe Bryant of the NFL, but for a fanbase begging for the team to return to its glory of the 1990s, this kind of drive and “Mamba” mentality could be the main driver of it.

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