Dylan Raiola picks Georgia: College Football HQ reaction, what it means for Bulldogs

Dylan Raiola, the No. 1 player in the 2024 college football recruiting class, is heading to Georgia. What does it all mean for the Bulldogs?

It's official as the No. 1 player in the 2024 college football recruiting class has made his commitment known: Dylan Raiola is heading to the Georgia Bulldogs, potentially changing the course of the cycle and solidifying the school's position as the top team in this year's college football recruiting rankings.

The announcement follows a whirlwind few months that began when the five-star quarterback de-committed from Ohio State and took several high-profile visits to Nebraska and USC, among other schools, before finally doing what every recruiting analyst finally predicted he would do, and gave his pledge to the defending back-to-back national champions.

As tends to happen with high-profile quarterback signings, the addition of Raiola to Georgia's 2024 class could have lingering positive effects for the school on the recruiting front, in particular when targeting players at skill positions — as it did for Texas after five-star Arch Manning pledged to that school.

So what does it all mean for Georgia, for Raiola, for the SEC, and the national college football picture?

Dylan Raiola picks Georgia: What does it mean?

Dylan Raiola has committed to Georgia and two-time national champion Kirby Smart / USA Today Images

Diverse skill set

There's a reason why Raiola is considered the top player in his class. He's a very highly polished thrower of the football and a skilled ball handler who has proven able to maneuver himself inside the pocket with ease since his freshman year. 

Plus, he fits in well to the pro-style parts of Georgia's offense. Raiola can make all the throws he'll be asked to make and notably plays in an offense that isn't just spread out or defined by a lot of high-percentage plays, but instead actually asks more of him than most high school schemes would. 

The result is a quarterback who is solid in play-action, reads defensive coverages with confidence, and can place the ball with convincing touch on intermediate and deep portions of the field.

2024 College Football Recruiting Team Rankings

What to work on

Raiola fits more as a traditional pocket passer who possesses functional mobility more than any game-breaking athleticism to escape pressure. 

The modern quarterback position places more of an emphasis on a player's running ability to escape ever-more agile edge rushers and gain yards with his legs, and this is an area where Georgia's new quarterback prospect can improve upon.

According to MaxPreps, Raiola rushed for just 97 yards in his sophomore season while posting an average of 1.8 yards per carry. The following year, he had minus-82 yards on the ground with a minus-2.3 ypc mark.

On the flip side, Raiola has shown able to turn those short runs into touchdowns, punching it in from short range 11 times his last two varsity seasons.

Raiola has this summer's Elite 11 Finals to build on that aspect of his game, plus his entire senior year in high school, which should give us more clarity on where things are trending.

How he fits at Georgia

Recruiting analysts have long compared Raiola to Matthew Stafford, another accomplished high school quarterback who paired up with offensive coordinator Mike Bobo at Georgia before going on to be a No. 1 draft pick and Super Bowl champion.

Raiola brings the arm strength, poise, and accuracy to credibly improve Georgia's vertical air attack and complement the team's rushing capability, especially when working off play-action and creating opportunities in the deeper area of the field.

Playing behind what is projected to be a strong offensive line in future and aided by the team's burgeoning running back rotation, Raiola should have the room to develop a rapport with Georgia's young incoming receiver group and lead what could be one of the SEC's more productive offenses.

College football rankings: Georgia, Michigan lead post-spring top 25 for 2023 season

A major flip could be coming

Keep an eye on Jeremiah Smith, the gifted five-star wide receiver who is also the consensus No. 2 player in the country overall, currently the top pledge at Ohio State, but who is giving the thought of flipping to Georgia some serious consideration judging by his reaction to Raiola's commitment. Georgia has been pushing for Smith for a while and now has some major leverage in their pursuit of the wideout.

The potential pairing of Raiola and Smith would be a duo that could dominate the SEC and keep Georgia well in the national championship picture the next few seasons.

Dylan Raiola recruiting profile

The five-star quarterback passed for 3,241 yards with 32 touchdown passes and rushed for nine additional scores in 12 games as a sophomore.

Raiola hit over 64 percent of his throws for 2,435 yards with 22 touchdowns with five interceptions in his junior campaign.

All four major recruiting services — 247Sports, Rivals, ESPN, and On3 Sports — call Raiola the No. 1 quarterback in the 2024 cycle.

Three of the four named him the No. 1 overall prospect in the class, with On3 dissenting, calling Raiola the No. 7 overall player.

2023 Georgia Football Schedule

---

More college football from SI: Top 25 Rankings | Schedule | All Teams

Follow College Football HQ: Bookmark | Rankings | Picks