When five-star quarterback Dylan Raiola committed to Georgia on May 15, he posted a photo of himself wearing a Bulldog uniform on Twitter. There was one word in bold and prominently displayed in the graphic: Home.
Yes, “home” is a word recruits often use when they commit to a program, denoting their new digs for the foreseeable future. But when Raiola chose that word, it seemed intended for a completely different reason. Why? Because Georgia wasn’t home — even though he transferred to the Peach State to play his senior season. The Nebraska program that Raiola went through before selecting the Bulldogs was actually home to him.
It was a bad day for college football because he was just another five-star quarterback doing what five-star players always do. The rich were getting richer, and the distance between the haves and have-nots was growing ever wider.
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Dylan Raiola, Georgia and why it’s so hard for other programs to win big
This is what makes today a special day. Raiola, the No. 6 overall player and the No. 2 quarterback in the 2024 class in the 247Sports Composite, has changed his mind and decided to actually return home. On Monday afternoon, he flipped his commitment and will sign with Nebraska.
The 6-foot-3, 230-pound prospect did what many high-profile prospects before him had done. He changed his mind right before signing his National Letter of Intent, reminding us that even in this new recruiting era of prospects committing earlier than ever, we can still get some drama as signing day approaches.
Raiola made a surprise official visit to Nebraska last weekend, but it seemed as if he had made up his mind before returning to Lincoln, a place he has visited several times before.
Lincoln is home because of the program’s direct family ties. Raiola’s father, Dominic, is a former Nebraska All-American, and his uncle, Donovan, is currently the Huskers’ offensive line coach.
When Matt Rhule took the job at Nebraska, an eight-year contract at a program with a lot of history and financial involvement was supposed to be attractive. For a coach who was recently booted from the NFL combine and is looking to return to the collegiate game, Nebraska was the perfect place. Rhule had already engineered successful rebuilds at Temple and Baylor — two programs with unique challenges — so why wouldn’t he do that with the Cornhuskers?
But unlike other rebuilding jobs, Nebraska came with something special — an opportunity for the first-year head coach to get an inside corner on a player who at the time was ranked as the No. 1 overall player in the country.
Rhule did everything he could to start his tenure by landing Nebraska’s first five-star first-team prospect since 2005. He failed at first.
This is not to say that Rolle did not have a good sales pitch. He told Raiola he could come to Nebraska and follow in his father’s footsteps while also being a catalyst for change in a program that was once the gold standard of the sport. Also, Nebraska is the kind of place that can certainly put together a nice little bag of nothing, especially for someone with that last name, that position and those family ties to the program.
But that wasn’t enough in May, and that was devastating. If this Nebraska program — which has a promising new coach — couldn’t land a five-star quarterback like Raiola, would the Huskers have any hope at all?
The NIL era was supposed to be the reason new programs were able to attract elite high school talent. But in the beginning, the big, bad Georgia, the unstoppable software machine, was too powerful for a magnet. When Raiola transferred from Phoenix to Georgia after his freshman year, it was confirmation of what everyone had assumed: Raiola was destined to play for Georgia.
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Recruiting is very exciting and unpredictable. Raiola has changed his mind — perhaps it was a result of family ties or the lack of something better package — and now the college football world has a reason to track down another program. We have reason to pay more attention to Rhule’s build and believe there is indeed hope in a program that many have left for dead.
Nebraska did it. In the process, the Cornhuskers also added another interesting story and reason to draw casual fans to the Big Ten Network. Raiola, even if he doesn’t start as a freshman, will be a story from day one.
Other programs can do this too. That’s a far cry from the message Raiola inadvertently sent in May when he committed to Georgia after initially committing to Ohio State. It was going to be a solid program for the five-star prospect. No one else had a chance, even if your dad was an All-American center there.
Not that Raiola did anything wrong by choosing Georgia. Who can blame a five-star player with dreams of the NFL for choosing a school that sends a large number of players to the league? It’s the path of least resistance.
Raiola’s chances of making it to the NFL likely weren’t affected by his decision to play at Nebraska, but his path is different. He’s a big, strong prospect with a live arm. He could have gone anywhere, but he chose Nebraska.
How nice it is to breathe fresh air.
And with such deep, invigorating breathing, it makes you feel that this sport actually has a chance to achieve some parity in the future. The only way we’ll get there is when elite-level players like Raiola decide they can make their dreams come true by going to unique places that suit them and their needs, no matter how many times a team has been to the College Football Playoff. In the previous five years.
Raiola is sure to make an impact on a Nebraska program that just took five big steps forward.
But maybe, just maybe, his decision will serve as a reminder to other prospects in his position that they don’t have to be like everyone else.
The result could be more programs with high-level players.
Wouldn’t that be something?
(Photo: Steve Limentani/ISI Images/Getty Images)
After much speculation and anticipation, highly-touted offensive lineman Dylan Raiola has officially announced his commitment to the University of Nebraska. The Omaha native has decided to stay close to home and play for his home state team, marking a significant win for the Huskers and college football fans alike. Raiola’s decision is not only a testament to the potential of the Nebraska football program, but also a promising development for the future of college football in the state. As one of the top recruits in the nation, Raiola’s choice to stay in Nebraska is sure to bring a surge of excitement and enthusiasm to the team and its loyal fanbase.