Nebraska is hoping it has the next Patrick Mahomes, in more ways than one.
Five-star quarterback Dylan Raiola had already sparked comparisons to Mahomes with his look upon showing up to camp and he did so again on Saturday with his play.
During the Cornhuskers’ opener against UTEP, Raiola made an off-balance, sidearm throw off his right leg, hitting a receiver in stride a la Mahomes.
Nebraska coach Matt Rhule told reporters previously that Raiola “patterns a lot of his game” after the three-time Super Bowl champion.
After Raiola was photographed in a Mahomes-esque outfit in July, Mahomes himself posted to X commenting on the similarity.
“That’s my lil cuzzo,” Mahomes wrote, after Tyreek Hill posted, “boy ain’t no way,” in response to the photo.
Mahomes, on Saturday, quoted a video post of a Raiola touchdown and reiterated that Raiola was his “lil cuzzo.”
Flipping Raiola from Ohio State, where he was originally committed, was a coup for the Huskers, who have struggled to gain traction over the last decade in the Big Ten.
With the conference expanding to 18 teams this season, that became even tougher, with Washington, USC, Oregon and UCLA now a regular part of the schedule.
If Raiola can be the next big thing, though, then Nebraska could have something.
Through the first half, he had completed 15 of 22 passes for 192 yards and two touchdowns in a rollicking start.