ATHENS, Ga. – College football is an often meaningless sport. But sometimes the universe gets it right.
Nebraska needed Dylan Raiola more than Georgia needed him, and college football needed Raiola at Nebraska, the long-suffering, once-proud program that would now welcome him as a savior, rather than just the last five-star player it would have with it. Georgia.
But Georgia needed Carson Beck, who (probably) needed another year to show his wares to the NFL. And the two needed an extra year together to try to get back to the top of college football, something Georgia has a much better chance of doing with Beck returning for a second full year as a starter.
That was the lesson Georgia fans learned after the 2021 season. Remember if you will — unless you’re one of those people and trying to bury it — that some were unhappy when Stetson Bennett announced he would be back for another year. Some still weren’t convinced by Bennett and thought his return was costing JT Daniels the team – which it was – or a chance to move on to the future with Beck, Brock Vandagriff, or some shiny new thing.
As it turned out, the team was better off with the bird in hand: another year for Bennett and a year for Beck to continue learning. The result was another national championship under Bennett, and then a good year from Beck. It didn’t result in a national title, but going 12-1 with one of the best offenses in the country was still pretty good. Beck is setting up next year to be another great opportunity.
That’s why it was more important for Georgia to have Beck than Raiola. This does not mean that it has come to that; Nothing or personal factors had to play a role. But the thing with midfielders is that they want to play, and after the season Beck put together, Raiola and his family probably knew there would be at least a year of waiting in Athens. Given the fact that the transfer portal opens again next December, Georgia probably didn’t feel comfortable doing everything it could to keep its backup quarterback happy, only to lose him after a year and nothing to start.
Beck is a well-known commodity. We will not engage in any speculation here about how much he might get from having no guarantees of return. We’ll say that if Beck thought he was certain to be selected in the first round of the NFL Draft, the money wouldn’t have mattered, because at that point we’re talking about just $6 million in signing bonus, and more than that in guarantees, for the last pick in that round. That’s not money Georgia, or perhaps any other team, is willing to spend on a one-year player. Since no-failure contracts don’t have to be public, we don’t know.
It’s safe to say that Georgia and Beck felt comfortable moving forward together into 2024. Beck wanted to improve his draft situation and now has a chance to be the top quarterback in the 2025 draft, which he won’t be next spring. He wants a ring too. Georgia, despite being loaded with the rest of its roster, is still much better with Beck at quarterback than the alternative, whatever that may be.
Vandagriff would have been interesting, given his knowledge of the system and his ability as a dual threat. But until he plays, there’s no guarantee what he’ll do. He had three years to beat Beck and he didn’t do it. He’ll be interesting to watch at Kentucky next year, and if he looks great, people might wonder.
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Gunner Stockton has a chance to be the next Beck: By the start of the 2025 season, Stockton will be at Georgia for three years, with one year (most likely) as the No. 2 quarterback. In the Gateway era, the Bulldogs could have had two consecutive rookies waiting The old fashioned way.
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Dylan Raiola flips his commitment to Nebraska
Or it could be Ryan Puglisi, who will be a fan favorite after joining Georgia early (in October 2022) and sticking around even after Raiola committed. Oh, by the way, Puglisi moved into his dorm room last weekend.
But any talk about Georgia’s future quarterback discussion must include the portal. The world could change so much between now and this time next year that nothing can be certain. That’s why it’s a good thing that when Raiola told Georgia’s coaches of his final decision, he wasn’t scolded or guilt-ridden like some coaches are wont to do when they receive bad news. This is the age of the portal. Today’s opponent is tomorrow’s free agent. Raiola committed to three programs in 18 months, transferred from Phoenix to Buford, Ga., for his senior year, then left anyway. Who knows what’s next?
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Georgia knows what’s next for its quarterbacks: Beck, then Stockton, then Puglisi. A last-minute addition may be made via the portal or traditional recruitment, but Beck is the starter, and Raiola is not one of the reserves. that’s good.
Raiola in Nebraska, not Georgia, is the best for the sport. Beck at Georgia, rather than the NFL draft, is better for Georgia.
If it was just this once, the universe would have succeeded.
(Top image by Carson Beck: Perry McIntyre/ISI Photos/Getty Images)
The recent decisions by top high school football recruits Dylan Raiola and Carson Beck to commit to the University of Nebraska and the University of Georgia, respectively, have caused a stir in the college football world. Many analysts and fans alike have hailed these choices as a sign that the top programs in the nation are recruiting and developing talent in a way that benefits the players and the sport as a whole. With Raiola and Beck’s decisions, it seems that the college football world got it right in creating opportunities for these young athletes to showcase their skills at the highest level.