Georgia quarterback commit Dylan Raiola, the No. 1 prospect in the 2024 recruiting class, will be playing his final season of high school football much closer to his future home. Raiola told 247Sports that he's transferring to Georgia powerhouse Buford ahead of the 2023 season, leaving Pinnacle (Arizona) after just a few months with the program.
Raiola transferred to Pinnacle in January after playing his junior season at Chandler (Arizona). Steve Wiltfong of 247Sports noted that if Raiola decided to stay at Pinnacle, the Arizona Interscholastic Association would force him to serve a five-game suspension in line with its in-state transfer policy.
"After meeting with Pinnacle's leadership and specifically their head coach, he didn't have much confidence in Dylan not having to sit any games and Dylan wants to play a full senior season," Raiola's father Dominic told Wiltfong. "When he committed to Georgia, that allowed us to be closer to where he's going to spend the next four years of his life and enroll and be free and clear to play the whole season and compete."
Buford will be Raiola's fourth high school stop. Prior to moving to Arizona, he started one season as a sophomore for Burleson High School (Texas).
Raiola is fresh off an appearance at the Elite 11 Finals, where a collection of the nation's best quarterback prospects compete in various events. After two days of action, he finished second in 247Sports' rankings behind Alabama commit and Elite 11 MVP Julian Sayin.
"The nation's No. 1-ranked prospect might not have finished at the top of our list, but he still lived up to the hype," 247Sports Director of Scouting Andrew Ivins wrote. "No one had a better deep ball than Raiola, who understands how to use touch and trajectory like a pro. Raiola came out firing Friday, engineering four consecutive scoring drives. He could take the two-time defending national champion's offense to a different level."
Raiola is the crown jewel of Georgia's top-ranked 2024 recruiting class. He made his pledge to the Bulldogs on May 15 over offers from 27 other schools, and is the second-highest rated recruit in Bulldogs history.
