Nebraska QB Dylan Raiola trolled by fans as he continues to copy Patrick Mahomes in bizarre pregame ritual
University of Nebraska quarterback Dylan Raiola has once again been brutally trolled by fans as he continues to copy the attire and mannerisms of Kansas City Chiefs quarterback Patrick Mahomes.
Raiola, ranked as the top pocket-passing quarterback in the country for the Class of 2024 by ESPN, bears some small resemblance to the Super Bowl MVP.
But he’s taken it a step further in his first few games at Nebraska. In the first weekend of the season, he was seen stepping off the team bus wearing similar sunglasses to Mahomes.
Over the weekend, before Nebraska’s game against the University of Northern Iowa, Raiola – who wears Mahomes’ No. 15 – was seen copying the Chiefs’ quarterback’s pre-game routine.
Raiola ran down to the end zone, did a high-jump and then yelled at the crowd in a similar manner to Mahomes.
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Nebraska quarterback Dylan Raiola was seen copying Patrick Mahomes’ pre-game ritual
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Fans made fun of Raiola for his more-than-obvious copying of the Chiefs superstar
Fans on social media deemed this weird and trolled the Nebraska quarterback for his imitation of the Chiefs superstar.
‘Can we cyberbully this out of him,’ wrote one person on Twitter.
‘Dude is OBSESSED with Mahomes my god,’ said another user.
Another account posted, ‘I used to imitate all my favorite players, too. And then I turned 12.’
‘You’ll never be him. Be yourself,’ advised another account.
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Fans trolled Raiola – suggesting that they should ‘cyberbully this out of him’ among others
What may not be known is that Raiola and Mahomes have met in the past – in fact, the pair have even trained together over the offseason.
Additionally, it appears Mahomes isn’t fazed or weirded-out by Raiola’s homage to his pre-game routine.
‘It’s cool, honestly,’ Mahomes said. ‘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.’
Mahomes added, ‘He’s a great football player and I think he’s going to make his own stamp on the game. I think you’ve seen that early in his career.’
Dylan Raiola is the son of former Detroit Lions offensive lineman Dominic Raiola – with the son following his father’s footsteps by decommitting from Georgia to go to Nebraska.
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Raiola has even copied Mahomes’ attire before, wearing similar sunglasses to the Chiefs star
In doing so, Raiola became the highest-rated quarterback recruit in the history of Nebraska’s storied football program.
In his first three starts, Raiola has completed 73.8% of his passes for 670 yards, five touchdowns and one interception.
The 22nd-ranked Cornhuskers are 3-0 and ranked in the top-25 for the first time since 2019. They’ll be looking to improve their record in a ranked matchup on Friday night against No. 24 Illinois.
