Five-star Georgia commit Dylan Raiola could make major waves across the college football recruiting landscape as the early signing period approaches. On Monday, 247Sports Director of Recruiting Steve Wiltfong flipped his Crystal Ball prediction for Raiola from Georgia to Nebraska despite the quarterback's commitment to the Bulldogs. He would be the first five-star prospect to sign with Nebraska in the 247Sports era, and just the third all-time since internet recruiting services began.
A product of Buford, Georgia, Raiola ranks as the Top247's No. 1 quarterback and No. 2 prospect overall. In his first season at Buford after transferring in from Arizona, he led the Georgia powerhouse to an 11-2 record while completing 159 of his 250 pass attempts for 2,819 yards and 34 touchdowns with just one interception. He also threw four touchdowns in a single game on five separate occasions.
Raiola's ties to Nebraska are hard to ignore. His father, Dominic, was a starting center at Nebraska from 1998-2000, winning the Rimington Trophy and earning consensus All-American honors as a junior. Raiola's uncle, Donovan, is the offensive line coach for the Cornhuskers. He was hired in December 2021 and was the only assistant from the Scott Frost era retained by coach Matt Rhule, who took over the program prior to the 2023 season. Donovan Raiola also received a contract extension and a 53% pay raise in December.
How we got here
Not only has Raiola's recruitment been a whirlwind, but so has his high school playing career. Here's a timeline of events leading up to this latest plot twist.
- Fall 2021: Plays under former NFL quarterback Jon Kitna at Burleson (Texas) High School, starting every game as a sophomore.
- December 2021: Transfers to Chandler High School in Arizona. Donovan Raiola is hired as offensive line coach at Nebraska.
- Spring 2022: Takes an unofficial visit to Ohio State in April, receiving multiple 247Sports Crystal Ball predictions in favor of the Buckeyes. He commits to the Buckeyes in May after climbing to the No. 1 spot nationally in the Top247.
- Fall 2022: Starts every game as a junior at Chandler, posting a 9-3 record and completing 178 passes for 2,435 yards and 22 touchdowns.
- December 2022: Decommits from Ohio State after taking an unofficial visit to Nebraska in October.
- January 2023: Transfers to Pinnacle High School in Phoenix, Arizona.
- May 2023: Announces his commitment to Georgia, takes an official visit to Athens a month later.
- June 2023: Transfers to Buford after reports surface the Arizona Interscholastic Association would force him to serve a five-game suspension in line with its in-state transfer policy.
- Fall 2023: Takes multiple visits to Georgia while playing his senior season at Buford.
- December 2023: Raiola receives a 247Sports Crystal Ball prediction in Nebraska's favor.
What it would mean for Nebraska
Raiola would be one of the most significant recruiting victories in Nebraska history. The Huskers have struggled to recruit the quarterback position in recent years. They haven't even signed as much as a four-star signal caller since 2018 when Adrian Martinez joined the fold. Nebraska has entered each of the last two seasons with a transfer starting at quarterback.
Raiola profiles as a legitimate program-changing quarterback and would give the Huskers plenty of reason for optimism about their future, especially on the offensive side of the ball. He's also the type of prospect that can at least attract other top talent to Lincoln.
The only downside -- if such a thing even exists here -- is that Raiola's addition would create a bit of a logjam at quarterback for Nebraska. The Huskers turned to former three-star Heinrich Haarberg late into the 2023 season. Haarberg had a winning record in eight starts, throwing for 967 yards and seven touchdowns. In addition, Nebraska is in pursuit of a veteran quarterback via the portal and has been linked with Ohio State transfer Kyle McCord recently.
Bringing in a one-year bridge guy like McCord would make a ton of sense and give Raiola time to develop without throwing him into the fire as a true freshman. It's also worth monitoring what in-state three-star quarterback Daniel Kaelin -- who committed to Nebraska in May -- does if Raiola joins the 2024 class. The Huskers have informed Kaelin of their Raiola pursuit while reaffirming they would still honor his commitment, according to ESPN.
What it would mean for Georgia
It always stings to lose a prospect of Raiola's caliber, but few schools have been as good as Georgia at finding answers at quarterback -- no matter the circumstances. Lest we forget: The Bulldogs won back-to-back national championships with former walk-on Stetson Bennett calling the shots.
Carson Beck, a four-star prospect from the class of 2020, stepped in for Bennett in 2023 and put together a very strong season, passing for 3,739 yards and 22 touchdowns. He has eligibility remaining and could return for 2024, giving Georgia a locked-in starter for at least one more season.
Georgia has also done a great job recruiting and building depth at quarterback in recent years. The Bulldogs didn't sign a signal caller in 2023 but did bring in back-to-back top-10 QBs from 2021-22. Raiola isn't their only 2024 quarterback, either.
Georgia also holds a commitment from four-star QB Ryan Puglisi out of Avon, Connecticut. The Elite 11 finalist ranks as the No. 13 quarterback prospect and put up respectable numbers as a high school senior despite playing in an offense that doesn't throw much, finishing the year with 1,693 yards passing and 14 touchdowns while completing over 65% of his passes.
