I forgot about Dom’s kid being the #1 QB coming out of highschool.
Does anyone know the story on why he chose Nebraska? I feel like I heard his name associated with a couple of different schools before Nebraska.
His dad is a legend there and his uncle is the OL coach.
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I know his dad went there. Once was committed to Georgia. Money probably talks
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I highly doubt that Georgia gets outspent. If so perhaps A&M, Tennessee but likely not Nebraska. Buffett doesn’t donate to sports so their donor base is mere multi-millionaires for the most part.
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No doubt Georgia has a bigger NIL budget than Nebraska, but they also have a lot more guys to spend it on. (Georgia currently has the #4 recruiting class according to 247 with 19 4- or 5-star recruits. Nebraska is #31 with 6 4-stars total.) For Nebraska, Raiola IS the recruiting class, and I’m sure he’s getting paid like it.
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Yeah, I think he even played with a Georgia headband on his head in his last games in highschool.
How did Georgia lose him?
I get the connection to Nebraska but I feel like their football program has been going downhill for a long time.
Who was their last big name drafted player, Suh?
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Legacy and chance to start right away. Wasnt Nebraska his 3rd school he committed to? He was originally an OSU commit.
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That could be. I really don’t think it was about money though. I do think it may have been about legacy. He gets things turned around and he’s an all timer.
I know that they were making serious inroads with David Saunders who is the #3 overall player in the class but when Tennessee threw down (was rumored to be over $3m) they had no capacity to go there. Saunders GF also goes to Tennessee so there was more to it but I know that there recruitments have often ended when SEC money came into the picture. Lacy at RB last year was another. Once Missouri came into the picture with big money he was out.
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I thought I had remembered OSU as well…but then wasn’t sure if I wasn’t just mixing him up with all the others that flip-flop between those 2 schools.
It’s amazing the QB’s that Georgia gets and yet they roll with guys like Stetson Bennett and Fromm.
Beck returning had a role in it as well
Yeah but if it was just that, why didn’t he commit to Nebraska first.
I remember Nebraska was very much in the mix for Raiola before the first time he committed, and allegedly it went down to the wire. Although a lot of people (me included) thought Raiola was just doing Matt Rhule a favor by pretending the Huskers had a shot to land him, out of loyalty to the close ties his family has had with the program.
My guess is that Raiola likes Rhule, likes the family history, likes the idea of being the spark that turns the program around and gets them back to competing for championships, and that he made it clear he’d go there if the money was close. And then some booster–maybe Suh???–stepped up and got it done.
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There had been a lot of uncertainty. Rhule brought some stability and hope.
Looking back on it, I think Raiola’s commitment to OSU wasn’t ever very serious. A TON of guys commit to or act like they’re going to commit to OSU for clout. It happens literally every year.
The worst example I can ever remember was Tunmise Adeleye in 2021, who some of you MSU people might recognize. He went on the internet (maybe IG live…I don’t remember…) and said that he could essentially get Larry Johnson’s legendary coaching off of YouTube, once he decommited. Then, of course, Buckeye nation never heard of him again.
I also think Georgia probably gave Raiola a bag to flip there, because remember, Raiola’s OSU stint was before OSU was spending big in NIL. (Anyone who wants to debate that…just don’t waste your time.)
Family is and has always been undefeated in recruiting. Even over money. I think that’s what happened in the end.
Georgia took the money they got back from Raiola and used it to flip five star S KJ Bolden from Florida State on signing day.
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Matt Rhule was an intersting hire for them and wouldn’t be shocked if he did well there.
Are you really trying to make sense of the mind of a 17 yr old?
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Need to execute in close games. They should have won 8 last year.
No doubt.
I made it down to Georgia last week to see my grandson’s team (Milton) take on Buford (where Dylan graduated from). I thought I was going crazy when I heard Raiola’s name at QB. Did he stay back? Do high schools have fifth year seniors?
Nope.
It was his brother Dayton Raiola.
(Milton beat Buford in a rain-soaked contest between #1 and #2 in the state).
Here’s an article about Dayton. In it, you can see why Dylan chose Nebraska… the same reason Dayton might do the same…
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His dad, who we know very well, went there and Matt Rhule seems to be building something pretty good there.
I’m glad he chose Nebraska. I have this nostalgic feel for the 90s College Football powers, Nebraska, the Florida Trio, Tennessee, Notre Dame, Michigan so I cheer for those programs to do well and bring back some of the magic from my childhood.
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Dayton is supposed to be terrific as well but more like a more athletic Tua as opposed to a Mahomes knock off.
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