LINCOLN, Neb. – There’s Dylan Raiola’s haircut and warm-up routine right before kickoff. There are the sunglasses, the mannerisms and the way he moves in and out of the pocket, decked out in red. There are the sidearm throws and even the misguided suggestion that his younger brother is mimicking Patrick Mahomes’ brother.

The No. 15 jersey — designed not after Mahomes but after former Florida star Tim Tebow — prompts a double take. But beneath the surface, much more connects Raiola, the freshman quarterback from Nebraska, and Mahomes, the three-time Super Bowl-winning star of the Kansas City Chiefs.

Raiola, a former five-star prospect from Buford, Georgia, has thrown for 967 yards and eight touchdowns in four college games. His first month went almost smoothly until a late meltdown by the Huskers against Illinois last Friday led to a 31-24 overtime loss.

But outside of Nebraska, his similarity to Mahomes dominates conversations about the 19-year-old Raiola.

“I think if that’s what people want to say,” Raiola said last month when the conversation broke out, “that guy is one of the best, so it’s cool.”

This side by side of Dylan Raiola and Patrick Mahomes is WILD 😳

(Via TT/Tanner Gatlin) pic.twitter.com/5TYmGUAVqc

— FOX College Football (@CFBONFOX) September 10, 2024

Even during football season, Raiola works a lot with quarterbacks coach Jeff Christensen and trainer Bobby Stroupe, both of whom helped transform Mahomes into a two-time NFL MVP.

What gets lost amid the memes and social media comments? Raiola did not connect with Mahomes’ support team as part of a plan to follow his path.

Raiola found them because of his proximity to Christensen and Stroupe, who operated separately out of North Texas when Raiola attended high school there in 2020 and 2021 — and because of their connections through Dylan’s father, former Detroit Lions center Dominic Raiola.

They see more differences between Raiola and Mahomes than similarities.

“Honestly, I don’t care,” said Christensen, a longtime coach and eight-year NFL QB. “As far as I’m concerned, you have two great people, two great families and two kids who want ownership. They are responsible. They care about their teammates. They are good souls. And that’s as far as I’ll go with it.”

Stroupe has moved his operation to Kansas City. He spends 10 hours a week during the season, he said, with Mahomes in the kind of holistic training sessions documented last year in the Netflix series “Quarterback.”

His checks on Raiola continue to occur frequently – in Lincoln and through digital monitoring of Raiola’s work.

Stroupe said he understands the fascination with measuring the Nebraska QB against the 29-year-old Mahomes. But it misses a larger point, he said.

“They move the same,” Stroupe said. “They have some dimensions that give them some similarity. I think the way they throw the football, the way they protect the ball, is a little bit different. Dylan is going to go his own way. He will be quite different from Patrick.

“I’m happy that Dylan is going to forge his own path.”

Comparisons between Kansas City’s Patrick Mahomes and Nebraska’s Dylan Raiola have gained traction on social media this season. But there is more to their story of similarities. (Jay Biggerstaff/Imagn Images, Dylan Widger/USA Today)

A holistic training approach

Stroupe’s methodology caught the attention of Dominic Raiola, the former All-America center at Nebraska, who tried to find the best program for Dylan during his rise as a prospect. Dylan came on board with Stroupe last year.

Ranked by On3’s industry average as the No. 3 quarterback in the class of 2024, he capped his first semester at Nebraska by starring in the spring game. His performance answered many questions about his readiness to step in as a freshman. Raiola then spent several weeks with Stroupe in Kansas City.

Nebraska strength coach Corey Campbell observed some of their sessions. The Stroupe partnership involves Campbell and others in Nebraska who work with the Huskers on a daily basis.

The arrangement is a lot like his interactions with Mahomes and the Chiefs, Stroupe said. His relationship with Mahomes dates back twenty years.

“For me,” says Stroupe, “it’s about nurturing their signature uniqueness and expanding on the things that make them different. What is their unique talent?”

What makes Mahomes unique is different from what makes Raiola unique.

Mahomes’ ability to run corners is special. It shows when he extends the play and escapes defenders who run in a straight line faster than Mahomes. He trains the skill with Stroupe, but some qualities come naturally.

Both quarterbacks possess a “calmness,” Stroupe said. Both got their athletic start in baseball. Raiola’s loading motions and shoulder anatomy obviously resemble those of the older QB, according to Stroupe.

And his height, 6-foot-1 and 230 pounds, is a dividing line: Mahomes is listed at 6-2 and 225.

“He’s more physically impressive,” Stroupe said. “I think Dylan really has the potential to be a power runner in situations he wants.”

He can run over a middle linebacker, Stroupe said. Of course, Matt Rhule and the Nebraska coaches would prefer Raiola not to do that.

If necessary, Stroupe, working with Campbell and the Nebraska staff, will have him ready.

An early focus on greatness

Last year, when Raiola was unsigned as a recruit, Christensen spoke with Rhule about the QB.

“He asked me what I thought of Dylan,” Christensen said. “I said it’s very rare for an 18-year-old kid to go to a major college, especially a Big Ten college, and play at a high level.

“But if anyone can do it, it’s him.”

Christensen has been coaching Mahomes on playing quarterback since 2017, his rookie year in the NFL. He started at Raiola four years ago.

Many of the principles from Mahomes’ teaching apply to Christensen’s work with Raiola. When the coach met Dylan, Christensen said, “He was like the young colt you’re trying to break.”

It’s a lot like the path Mahomes took as a colt from Whitehouse, Texas, before throwing for more than 11,000 yards in three seasons at Texas Tech.

Raiola committed to Ohio State in 2022, but quit shortly after Rhule took over at Nebraska in November of that year. He then committed to Georgia in May 2023. Nebraska never lost interest. Days before the signing period opened last December, Dylan left for Nebraska.

Christensen’s words resonated. He told Rhule that Raiola works too hard to fail.

“He eats it, sleeps it and drinks it,” Christensen said. “It means too much to him. Without being obsessive, it’s just his dream. And he is one of the few kids whose actions match his words. He is driven by the opportunity to be great.”

Like Stroupe, Christensen communicates with Raiola during the season. But Glenn Thomas, the Huskers’ first-year quarterbacks coach, and offensive coordinator Marcus Satterfield are handling every part of the game preparation.

“Too much information can muddy the waters,” says Christensen.

His conversations with Raiola focus on fundamental matters. For example, Christensen reminds the QB, as he is done with Mahomes, of the cause and effect of good ball flight.

There is a fine line for Raiola in his process of throwing with touch versus zip.

This Dylan Raiola pass was beautiful 🙌 @HuskerFootball #B1GFootball on @CFBONFOX 📺 pic.twitter.com/7cEgDmr17l

— Big Ten Football (@B1Gfootball) August 31, 2024

“For me it’s just a matter of feeling,” Raiola said. “It is an instinct that has been trained over and over again.”

In four games he has barely made a mistake. His two interceptions in 88 attempts were both ripped from the hands of Nebraska receivers.

“His preparation allows him to see what happens during the game,” Rhule said.

‘Just like Patrick’

The Mahomes comp first went viral in July after Nebraska shared a photo of Raiola at the start of preseason camp.

He was just walking around campus. Looks like Mahomes.

Mahomes, ever a good sport, weighed in on the buzz.

Little cuzzo!! 💪🏽🎯https://t.co/PpjiPf2XVc

— Patrick Mahomes II (@PatrickMahomes) August 31, 2024

Two weeks ago, a question about Raiola popped up during a Mahomes press conference. The quarterbacks have been training together.

“Honestly, it’s cool,” Mahomes said. “I was that guy. I grew up watching players. I loved A-Rod (Alex Rodriguez), playing shortstop and trying to make plays like him. It helped me become the athlete that I am.”

Every Raiola highlight yields more low-hanging fruit for an internet audience. Raiola seems unfazed by the attention.

“He has a lot of pride but no ego,” Rhule told NFL Network personality Rich Eisen on his radio show last week. “You feel that immediately. And so you’re kind of attracted to him.

As for the Mahomes comparison, Rhule is fine with it.

“The good thing is he’s a winner, just like Patrick,” the Nebraska coach said during Eisen’s show.

Since his fame as a potential candidate has skyrocketed, Raiola has largely avoided social media.

“I don’t think I’ve ever seen him nervous,” said senior receiver Isaiah Neyor, Raiola’s top target this season. “It’s just in him. He is a natural competitor.”

And he does his best to act like a normal college athlete.

Twice a week, as planned, he answers questions from the media. He is a fixture in the lower bowl of the Devaney Center to watch the No. 2-ranked Nebraska volleyball team — usually with his sister Taylor, a former TCU volleyball player who works in a recruiting position for Nebraska Football.

Two years ago, before Rhule called Christensen to inquire about Dylan, and before the Huskers bided their time while the QB helped Georgia recruit the class of 2024, Rhule watched Dylan coach as a high schooler.

Fresh out of the NFL after more than two seasons as coach of the Carolina Panthers, Rhule spoke with a Nebraska recruiting staffer as practice ended.

The first question to the coach: “What did he look like?”

“He’s Mahomes.”

(Photos of Dylan Raiola, Patrick Mahomes: Steven Branscombe/Getty Images, Jay Biggerstaff/Imagn Images)