Nebraska quarterback Dylan Raiola has gotten off to a fantastic start this season, and while the freshman signal-caller is turning heads with his play on the field, football fans are hung up on the fact that he’s Patrick Mahomes’ doppelganger. It’s not just that Raiola looks like Mahomes, either, he’s now copying his pre-game rituals.
Raiola wears the same over-the-top sunglasses every chance he can, wears No. 15 like Mahomes, and even has a nearly identical haircut to the Kansas City Chiefs’ superstar, but claims that he isn’t trying to imitate Mahomes.
“As a kid I always wore glasses. I’ve had this haircut since sixth, seventh grade maybe and I didn’t really know about Mahomes then. I have my own little kick to it, so it’s not completely like him,” Raiola claimed.
While we can give the kid the benefit of the doubt and buy his claim that he isn’t intentionally copying Mahomes’ style, there is no way we can give him a pass when it comes to his pre-game ritual.
After taking the field with his teammates, Raiola has now started running to the endzone, jumping, and screaming exactly how Mahomes does before every game.
You’ll also notice that Raiola wears an arm sleeve on his right arm, a long wristband on his left wrist, and the similar short sleeve popping out of his left shoulder pad. We can’t forget the towel, either, which mirrors Mahomes as well.
The entire football world has noticed the similarities, including Mahomes himself.
“It’s cool, honestly,” Mahomes said, per CBS Sports. “I was that guy, grew up watching players. I loved Alex Rodriguez, played shortstop and would try to make plays just like that. It helped me become the athlete that I am. It’s just telling me that I’m getting a little old.”
Raiola modeling his game after Mahomes is a wise decision given that Mahomes is the best quarterback on the planet, but the pre-game rituals and accessories are wild moves.