Dylan Raiola vs. Shedeur Sanders: Is Nebraska-Colorado a Preview of the NFL’s Superstar QB Matchup?

It was just a beginning, right?

Still, Nebraska quarterback Dylan Raiola has ignited the Huskers’ fan base after an impressive Week 1 debut against UTEP. The five-star quarterback gets his first national close-up on Saturday night against Colorado in a throw-back rivalry game.

Kickoff is scheduled for 7:30 p.m. Eastern Time on NBC and the quarterback contest will be the headliner.

That’s because Colorado quarterback Shedeur Sanders is on the other side of the line. Sanders, a projected first-round pick, had 445 yards and four TDs in the Buffaloes’ 31-26 win over North Dakota State in Week 1.

This looks like the best quarterback matchup of September in college football, one that could be referenced for years to come if these two quarterbacks reach the NFL in the future. Remember when Raiola and Sanders had a shootout in Lincoln? Here’s what to watch for in what should be a thrilling quarterback matchup on Saturday night.

Shedeur Sanders Recruiting Road to Colorado

Ranked 247 overall, Sanders was a three-star recruit in the class of 2021 at Trinity Christian School in Cedar Hill, Texas. He had 8,796 passing yards, 123 TDs and 19 interceptions in three seasons as the starting QB. He joined his father Deion Sanders at Jackson State in 2021 and threw for 3,231 yards, 30 TDs and eight interceptions as a freshman and 3,732 yards, 40 TDs and six interceptions as a sophomore.

He transferred to Colorado in 2023 after Coach Prime moved to Boulder and has amassed 3,230 yards, 27 TDs and three interceptions. Entering this season, Sanders has 97 TD passes and 14 interceptions between Jackson State and Colorado.

MORE: Colorado vs Nebraska Odds and Predictions

Dylan Raiola Recruiting Trail to Nebraska

247 ranked Raiola as the No. 2 quarterback in the 2024 recruiting class.

He finished his standout high school career in 2023 at Buford (Ga.), where he had 2,819 passing yards, 2,819 receiving yards and one interception. Raiola also played one year at Burleson (Texas) High School in 2021 and transferred to Chandler (Ariz.) High School in 2022. He totaled 54 TDs and 10 interceptions at those two schools.

Raiola is a legacy recruit at Nebraska, which is a big part of why he ended up in Lincoln. He is the son of former Lions center Dominic Raiola. Dylan’s uncle Donovan is currently the offensive line coach for the Huskers.

Raiola initially signed with Ohio State on May 9, 2022, but transferred to Georgia on May 15, 2023. On December 19, he permanently transferred from Georgia to Nebraska.

MORE: Meet Dylan Raiola, the QB Who Will Make Nebraska Relevant Again

Shedeur Sanders 2024 statistics

Sanders completed 26 of 34 for 445 yards, four touchdowns and an interception in Week 1 against North Dakota State. He averaged 13.1 yards per completion. According to Pro Football Focus, Sanders was 5 of 8 (62.5%) for 194 yards and two touchdowns in the opener. Among quarterbacks who attempted at least eight deep passes, Sanders had the most yardage.

Sanders also thrived against the blitz, going 6 of 8 for 143 yards and three TDs. He recorded just one sack in the opener, which was astonishing considering he recorded 49 sacks last season. The ability to extend and distribute plays to future NFL receivers in Travis Hunter and Jimmy Horn Jr. will only raise Sanders’ profile heading into the 2024 season.

Shedeur Sanders magic 🪄
photo.twitter.com/d9pGuVhODM

— PFF (@PFF) August 30, 2024

Dylan Raiola 2024 stats

Again, it’s one game, but Raiola was impressive in his debut as Nebraska’s starter, completing 19-of-27 (70.4%) of his passes for 238 yards, two TDs and no interceptions. Raiola has drawn attention for his appearance — which bears a striking resemblance to Chiefs three-time Super Bowl winner Patrick Mahomes — but Raiola’s play will receive more hype in the near future.

On passes of 20 yards or more, he completed 2 of 5 passes for 80 yards and scored two touchdowns.

Dylan Raiola with AN ABSOLUTE THUMB for the TD 🔥🎯

(via @CFBONFOX)
photo.twitter.com/n1g8yE0O7d

— Bleacher Report (@BleacherReport) August 31, 2024

He almost had a third throw:

Despite all the highlights of Dylan Raiola’s first week, his best throw of the day didn’t even show up in the box score photo.twitter.com/w4tm8ip1WM

— Cody Main (@cmain7) September 3, 2024

Raiola was 5 of 7 for 31 yards against the blitz, and he recorded one sack when he held the ball a little too long against coverage. Raiola has play-making skills and the ability to extend plays, but that will be tested at a higher rate against Colorado’s pass rush.

Could Dylan Raiola and Shedeur Sanders both be the first pick?

Sanders is considered one of the top quarterbacks in the 2025 NFL Draft. In the latest Sporting News mock draft, Sanders is the fifth overall pick by the Las Vegas Raiders. Vinnie Iyer writes: “The Raiders bridge the gap with Gardner Minshew versus another long shot at Aidan O’Connell, suggesting they’re waiting for their franchise QB in early 2025. Deion’s son would be a fitting Prime pick for Vegas with his dynamic passing skills.”

Sanders is the second quarterback taken in the mock draft, following Georgia’s Carson Beck. Texas’ Quinn Ewers is not far behind with the 10th pick, and most of the pre-draft conversation will revolve around those quarterbacks heading into 2025. Eight of the last 1st picks have been quarterbacks in the NFL Draft. Sanders does have a shot at going 1st.

Draft Countdown has a way-too-early 2027 NFL Mock Draft with Raiola as the No. 5 pick. He’s the second quarterback taken in that draft behind Ohio State freshman Julian Sayin, who hasn’t taken a snap in college but is the No. 1 pick in that way-too-early mock draft. Ohio State receiver Jeremiah Smith, who caught a pair of TDs in his college debut Saturday, is projected as the No. 2 pick. Florida quarterback DJ Lagway and Florida State quarterback Luke Kromenhoek are also first-round picks in that mock draft.

Raiola still has a lot to prove, but it’s telling that he’s already in early talks for the draft.

Have two No. 1 picks ever played against each other in college?

We had that same potential with Sanders and Caleb Williams when they met on September 30, 2023. They put on a show. USC won 48-41 and Williams was 30 of 40 for 403 yards, six TDs and an interception. Sanders was 30 of 45 for 371 yards, 371 yards, four TDs and an interception. The Chicago Bears selected Williams with the No. 1 pick in the 2024 NFL Draft and Sanders has the potential to be the No. 1 pick in the 2025 NFL Draft.

We’ve seen two head-to-head confrontations between the No. 1 picks in the past.

Clemson’s Trevor Lawrence and LSU’s Joe Burrow met in the College Football Playoff championship game on January 13, 2020. Burrow led LSU to a 42-25 victory before becoming the No. 1 overall pick in the 2020 NFL Draft by the Cincinnati Bengals. Lawrence was the No. 1 overall pick by the Jacksonville Jaguars in the 2021 NFL Draft.

The final regular season game was between Tennessee’s Peyton Manning and Kentucky’s Tim Couch, who played each other in 1996–97. Manning led the Volunteers to a 56–10 victory on November 23, 1996, and a 59–31 victory on November 22, 1997.

Manning (523 yards, 5 TDs) and Couch (476 yards, 2 TDs, 3 INTs) combined for 999 passing yards in the game. Manning was the No. 1 overall pick by the Indianapolis Colts in 1998. Tim Couch was the No. 1 overall pick by the Cleveland Browns in 2000.