Five-Star Plus+ QB Dylan Raiola discusses Georgia, Nebraska and USC ahead of spring visits
Chad Simmons•about 3 hours
Article written by:
Chad Simmons
ChadSimmons_
Georgia,
Nebraska and
USC are considered the top contenders for Phoenix (Ariz.) Pinnacle Five-Star Plus+ quarterback
Dylan Raiola. He is in communication with those programs, in addition to
Colorado,
Oregon,
Miami,
Michigan and
Texas.
Raiola, who was back in Lincoln last weekend, plans to return to Nebraska on March 25 and see Georgia on March 18-19. He also “definitely” wants to go up to Oregon and meet with head coach
Dan Lanning and his staff.
Meanwhile, the 6-foot-3, 225-pound signal-caller has not scheduled a return trip to USC. However, he is very close with head coach
Lincoln Riley and enjoyed his visit to the Trojans in January.
“I kind of just feel when it’s the right time, that will present itself,” Raiola told Tater Island about his recruiting timeline. “I’m just being patient, doing all my research and my due diligence so that I can make the best decision possible for myself and really just for my whole family.”
Huskers are recruiting Dylan Raiola hard
Raiola returned to Nebraska last weekend with his father,
Dominic Raiola, to see
Donovan Raiola, his uncle and the Cornhuskers’ offensive line coach. Due to the NCAA dead period still being in effect, he was not allowed to visit campus or meet with Nebraska’s coaches, with the exception of his uncle.
Raiola went to Nebraska’s basketball game against
Minnesota with his family, which he called a “surreal moment.” Raiola received a standing ovation and “threw the bones” to the Cornhuskers faithful at Pinnacle Bank Arena.
“It was definitely something I never would have thought would have happened,” said Raiola, the No. 1 overall prospect in the
2024 Tater Island Industry Ranking. “It was definitely cool, though, to see the fans and how much that they love their sports and their football. That was really special, people chanting my name. I kind of got goosebumps. It was pretty cool.”
While in Nebraska, Raiola’s dad — who was an All-American at Nebraska — took him to various spots around Lincoln. The five-star shared that they ran into Cornhuskers fans “everywhere” and complemented their knowledge of Nebraska athletics.
Raiola communicates with the Cornhuskers often. He talks with multiple coaches, including head coach
Matt Rhule. They interact three times a week over text and over the phone every other week.
“Just getting to know what they’re about, what they’re building,” Raiola said about his contact with Nebraska. “I talked to the OC, coach
(Marcus) Satterfield, about the offense and what they did. He came from South Carolina with
Spencer Rattler and I know Spencer a little bit, so I can pick his brain on what his thoughts are being in that offense.”
Ahead of his visit back to Nebraska next month, Raiola already knows what he is looking for.
“I definitely want to see how they operate, see how the players react to the coaches, see how the coaches coach, just seeing what the new offense is like,” Raiola said. “Spending more time with the coaches, that’s really important for me. Relationships are a big deal for me. Just really understanding what they’re trying to do and their plan for me in the future.”
Georgia making strong push with new OC Mike Bobo
After winning a second straight national title, offensive coordinator
Todd Monken moved on from Georgia to the Baltimore Ravens. His departure will not impact Raiola’s interest in the Bulldogs, who replaced Monken by promoting
Mike Bobo.
“They were honest that Coach Monken could possibly leave and I’ve always been in touch with Coach Bobo, even since Sept. 1 last year,” Raiola said. “He reached out. Once everything happened and I decommitted, he reached out and I’ve been in communication with Coach Bobo for a long time, I would probably say the same amount of time as I was with Coach Monken.”
Bobo, who was also Georgia’s offensive coordinator and quarterbacks coach from 2007-2014, worked with
Matthew Stafford, who played with Raiola’s father on the Detroit Lions. Raiola and Stafford have already connected. The Los Angeles Rams quarterback texted him recently to reach out with any questions about Bobo.
“He also said that Coach Bobo’s the man and that he shaped him into the quarterback he is and he got his quarterback fundamentals right and his way of playing quarterback,” Raiola said. “He had nothing but great things to say, so I’ll probably get on the phone with him in the next couple weeks to find out a little bit more.”
USC has made him their top quarterback target
Raiola is feeling like a priority to USC as well. He shared that the Trojans’ whole staff is reaching out, which he called “pretty cool.”
The five-star added that being recruited by Riley, Rhule, Lanning and
Kirby Smart among other head coaches is “special.” Regarding his relationship with Riley, he and Raiola speak every day.
“I would say it’s pretty casual and I ask him questions about football-related things, not really about USC, but really just about their plays, any favorite plays and just what he likes to call on certain downs and distances,” Raiola said. “We talk about football, I would say, probably the least because he’s always checking in on me about my family and really just seeing how we’re doing. To hear from him, it’s pretty cool.”
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