Nebraska QB Dylan Raiola reveals inspiration behind wearing No. 15 and it's not Patrick Mahomes

Nebraska Cornhuskers quarterback Dylan Raiola is one of the rising stars of college football. His style of play has earned him comparisons with Kansas City Chiefs quarterback Patrick Mahomes. Both have an explosive style of play. Additionally, they both wear the number 15, further strengthening the connection between the two

However, Raiola revealed in an interview that the reason why he wears number 15 is not because of Mahomes. It is because of another quarterback.

"No, I wore 15 in my first year of football, actually Tim Tebow," Raiola said on Tuesday via SI. "A strong Christian person. He played football at Florida and I look up to people who have good character and are a good person. He was that guy at the time. I kind of went away from it and went to 1, and it felt better to be at 15 honestly."

Tim Tebow is one of the best quarterbacks in the history of college football. During his time with the Florida Gators, Tebow led the Gators to two BCS national championships in 2006 and 2008, winning the Heisman Trophy in 2007.

His numbers were impressive, throwing for 9,286 passing yards and 88 touchdowns during his four years with the Gators.

However, it did not work out in the NFL for Tim Tebow. Apart from one good season with the Denver Broncos, he struggled in the professional league, another player who had a fantastic time at the collegiate level but could not make it in the NFL.

Dylan Raiola in 2024 so far

Raiola has thrown for 423 yards, three touchdowns and no interception in two games played this season. He has led the Cornhuskers to two dominant victories; one of them was against Shedeur Sanders and the Colorado Buffaloes.

Dylan Raiola is set for a good career, where he could live up to the likes of Tebow and Mahomes, two of his inspirations.

The Cornhuskers will be up against an FCS matchup in Northern Iowa Panthers this Saturday.