Nebraska back in recruiting race for 5-star QB Dylan Raiola: Can Huskers actually flip Georgia commi

LINCOLN, Neb. — Nebraska is back in the recruiting race for Dylan Raiola.

The five-star quarterback out of Buford, Ga., and former No. 1 recruit nationally in the 2024 class is communicating with the Huskers about a potential flip to Nebraska, according to sources close to the school’s committed recruits.

Raiola is ranked as the No. 6 player nationally and the No. 2 QB by the 247 Sports Composite. He committed to Georgia in May after five months back on the market following his decommitment from Ohio State a year ago.

His father, Dominic, was an All-America center at Nebraska whose career ended in 2000 before he played 14 seasons for the Detroit Lions. Dominic’s brother and Dylan’s uncle, Donovan, is set to enter his third season in 2024 as the Nebraska offensive line coach. He was the only full-time assistant retained last year by new coach Matt Rhule.

Backstory

Raiola, at 6-feet-3 and 230 pounds, spent longer than a year as the consensus No. 1 player in the 2024 class. He emerged as a top prospect after his freshman year in Burleson, Texas. Raiola played at Chandler (Ariz.) High School as a junior. He transferred to Pinnacle High in Phoenix early this year and moved to Buford after his pledge to the Bulldogs.

Raiola threw for 2,666 yards with 34 touchdowns and one interception as a senior, completing 63.2 percent of his throws. He is seen as a refined prospect, having benefited from mentorship by several of his father’s former quarterbacks, including Matthew Stafford. Raiola has been connected this year with Jeff Christensen, the personal coach of Patrick Mahomes.

The QB visited Nebraska six times between June 2021 and March 2023. He’s familiar with Rhule, who sent nine assistant coaches in January to see Raiola in Arizona on the final day that coaches were allowed on the road during the contact period.

Raiola is set to return to campus in Lincoln for an official visit this weekend, according to On3.

Nebraska’s confidence to flip Raiola

The Huskers seemingly would not have notified recruits of their renewed involvement with Raiola unless they felt good about their chances to sign him. On Monday as news spread about Raiola, Nebraska hosted quarterback Kyle McCord on a visit. McCord, in the portal from Ohio State, has one year of remaining eligibility.

The addition of Raiola to the 2024 class likely would not impact McCord. If they both pick Nebraska, McCord and Raiola would arrive next month, with McCord in line to start and Raiola to serve as an understudy for one season. — Mitch Sherman, Nebraska football writer

What adding Raiola would mean for Huskers’ recruiting class

It would serve as a massive boost for Rhule to land a QB like Raiola. And Raiola is not just any five-star QB. He considers Nebraska a home despite never living in the state. The Huskers’ current Class of 2025 pledges feature top-100 prospect Carter Nelson, a tight end from Ainsworth, Neb., and offensive lineman Grant Brix of Logan, Iowa.

The recruit most impacted by Raiola’s re-emergence, quarterback commit Daniel Kaelin out of Bellevue (Neb.) West, was set to visit with Nebraska offensive coordinator Marcus Satterfield on Monday night. Kaelin flipped from Missouri to Nebraska in the days after Raiola committed to Georgia.

Kaelin was instrumental in helping the Huskers in their June surge that produced the majority of the class — including his high school teammates, wide receivers Isaiah McMorris and Dae’vonn Hall. — Sherman

What this would mean for Georgia

It would be a stunning, late turn of events, considering Raiola’s commitment seemed firm enough that he moved halfway across the country to play his senior year about an hour away from Athens. And indications were that as of Monday night Georgia was holding out hope it could sway Raiola to still sign with the Bulldogs next week.

But the Bulldogs do have another quarterback committed for this class: Ryan Puglisi, a four-star prospect from Connecticut who announced for Georgia in Oct. 2022 and held firm even as Georgia pursued and landed Raiola. And if Carson Beck returns for his senior year the Bulldogs could use him as a bridge to either Puglisi, current redshirt freshman Gunner Stockton or whoever else it adds via the portal or high school recruiting.

The best way to sum it up: Georgia would rather hold onto Raiola, but this would help Nebraska more than it would hurt Georgia. — Seth Emerson, Georgia football writer

Required reading

(Photo: Jeff Hanisch / USA Today)