On Sunday the Kansas City Chiefs advanced to their third consecutive Super Bowl — and were greeted by an unexpected, but slightly familiar, figure in the locker room after the game.
Dylan Raiola, freshman quarterback for the Nebraska Cornhuskers, has drawn a lot of comparisons to Chiefs star Patrick Mahomes in his first year of college football. From his appearance and fashion to his playstyle, there’s more than a few parallels between the two-time MVP and the Cornhuskers freshman.
That’s my lil cuzzo https://t.co/JERaDk44ix
— Patrick Mahomes II (@PatrickMahomes) July 31, 2024
So players and coaches would have been forgiven for thinking they were seeing double after Kansas City’s win over the Buffalo Bills when Raiola popped up in the locker room’s postgame celebration.
The freshman signal-caller made a cameo on a livestream by Isaiah Pacheco, prompting the running back to remind his viewers “that ain’t Pat, y’all” before panning the video to show the real-life Mahomes.
“That ain’t Pat.” 😂
Nebraska QB Dylan Raiola was in the Chiefs locker room after their AFC Championship win 😅
(via @isiah_pachecoRB) pic.twitter.com/qmORFMPRfL
— SportsCenter (@SportsCenter) January 27, 2025
Regardless of whether Raiola’s Mahomes-esque look is innocent or intentional, the young quarterback has the six-time Pro Bowler’s endorsement.
“I know Dylan, I trained with him in the offseason,” said Mahomes in September. “Great kid, a great football player, and I think he’s going to make his own stamp on the game. And I think you’ve seen that early in his career.”
Mahomes and the Chiefs will face off with the Philadelphia Eagles in Super Bowl LIX on Feb. 9, while Raiola will have to wait until Nebraska’s 2025 season opener in August to take the field again — fittingly, at Arrowhead Stadium against the Cincinnati Bearcats.