They want to attack every day Georgia football recruiting Information? That’s intel. This rep covers what comes after 5-star QB Dylan Raiola’s commitment.. Ranked as the nation’s No. 1 overall prospect in 2024 in the 247Sports Composite rankings.
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Kirby Smart plays 3D chess underwater. They are not checks.
There are those who follow Georgia football closely in recruiting who appreciate the turn of that phrase. They use it repeatedly to describe how Smart led the recruiting efforts for back-to-back national championships.
New for the last 24 hours, Dylan Raiola plays Dominoes. That’s a play on words for the impact the nation’s No. 1 overall prospect will now have on Georgia’s 2024 recruiting class.
Raiola committed to the Dawgs on Monday. Dominoes are an apt descriptor. The motivation behind Riola’s decision leads to further commitment.
But the feeling we get here is like a Death Star tractor beam. Or better yet, Jordan Davis cannonballed Ramsey off a high dive.
The 5-star QB made a big splash. It brings many waves. We project Raiola to be a rainmaker-level recruit for the Class of 2024 in Athens.
What effect? We’ll let the Class of 2024 keynotes weigh in on that topic.
“The UGA class is going to be crazy,” said 5-star CB commit Ellis Robinson IV. “Best class in UGA history. Probably college football history.”
“I’m excited for Dylan and his family,” 4-star safety Peyton Woodyard said. “This is a big commitment for Georgia and it was very difficult to keep it a secret. Go “Dawgs!”
Woodyard said he knew for months.
Here are 10 elite Nationals prospects who we feel will help the ‘Dawgs immediately with Raiola’s commitment.
| Player | Hometown | General level |
|---|---|---|
| 5-star WR Jeremiah Smith (OSU) | Opa Locka, Fla. | No. 2 (No. 1 WR) |
| 5-star S KJ Bolden | Buford, Ga. | No. 9 (No. 1S) |
| 5-star DL Edric Houston | Buford, Ga. | No. 14 (No. 4 DL) |
| 5-star WR Micah Hudson | Temple, Texas | No. 16 (No. 3 WR) |
| 5-star WR Ryan Wingo | St. Louis, Mo. | No. 17 (No. 4 WR) |
| 5-star RB Jordan Davison (2025) | Santa Ana, California | No. 26 (No. 1 breeder) |
| 4-star OT Brandon Baker | Santa Ana, California | No. 32 (No. 1 OT) |
| 4 star TE Jaden Reddell | Special, Mo. | No. 58 (No. 4 TE) |
| 4-star WR Cam Coleman | Phoenix City, Ala | No. 59 (No. 11 WR) |
| 4-star RB Nate Frazier | Santa Ana, California | No. 94 (No. 8 RB) |
The Dylan Raiola Effect: Measuring his impact on the 2024 recruiting class
It was one of those decisions that everyone in the Class of 2024 noticed on Monday. Prospects of varying degrees on the Georgia 2024 board had an opinion about it.
“I thought it was great,” 5-star LB Sammy Brown said. “Georgia is a perfect fit for him and his talent. It will be great to see him succeed.”
What kind of impact would a talented QB bring to the UGA program? Brown wondered what that might mean if he went on to sign with the Bulldogs. With Clemson, Georgia, Ohio State, Oklahoma and Tennessee in mind, he has a tough choice.
“I think it will bring competition,” Brown added. “A lot of people say the linebacker is the QB, so I compete with him every day.”
A 5-star QB ranked as the nation’s No. 1 prospect in any service makes waves. Especially a recruited recruit like Raiola.
Especially for those awarded 5-star settlers.
5-star WR Ryan Wingo said Monday it was great to see Raiola pick the ‘Dawgs. Those two have been linked for a while. They visited Georgia and Nebraska together on back-to-back weekends in March.
Wingo spoke about the impact of Raiola’s decision on the process, but added an explanation.
“If I choose to go there, I know I have a good QB,” he said.
Casey Poe is the Dawgs’ top offensive line target in 2024. The country’s No. 9 IOL is set to be in Athens for an official visit over the weekend.
“I think it’s a great pick for the ‘Dawgs,” Poe said on Monday. He is a terrific player and will create competition for whoever is in the QB department.
Statesboro’s Cam Mikel, the nation’s No. 12 ATH and No. 156 overall prospect in 2024, will take his official visit this weekend in Athens.
“I’m glad he found his home,” Mikel said. “I honestly didn’t think he was going to go there.”
What does Mikel think Raiola means for the future of the Georgia program now?
“The loss will be real dynamic,” he said.
5-star Ohio State WR commitment Jeremiah Smith is the biggest target this news could move the needle on. Raiola was asked earlier this year what his decision to Georgia meant.
“He can certainly do more,” Smith said in March. “He’s the number one quarterback in the country. He committed to Ohio State with me last year. He was recruiting me hard to Ohio State. After I promised, it was interrupted. Yeah, I mean, Dylan Raiola is a great quarterback, if he ends up there, it’s a big opportunity. [he would consider Georgia] in case”
Woodyard played on the same South Florida Express 7-on-7 team as Smith. He also asked Smith in March how much Raiola’s commitment could help the ‘Dawgs.
“Dylan Raiola asked how I would feel if he did,” Smith said in March. “I told him that he was scared. If Dylan Raiola does it, I know they’ll hire me more.
That’s a sample size of the noise that’s happening in the country right now in the 2024 and 2025 classes. Riola’s decision made a lot of sense.
Raiola announced his commitment to Georgia on Instagram and Twitter. He deleted his Instagram after decommitting from Ohio State in December. He wanted his new commitment to be his next post on IG.
He first broke the news on Instagram.
As of this morning, it has received 24,864 likes. His number of followers increased. There are another 1,051 comments on that post. The current Georgia commit and players are at the top of that comment thread, including 5-star safety KJ Bolden.
“Wonder who’s next,” Bolden wrote in the comment line.
Former Bulldog Kelly Ringo suggested a pipeline from Arizona to Georgia. Smith even commented with a pair of fire emojis.
Raiola later tweeted his commitment.
That post alone had been viewed 2.2 million times as of Tuesday morning. That number was 1.8 million late Monday night.
That post attracted 12,900 likes, 1,040 replies and another 3,586 retweets.
Here’s a table of every potential recruit for the Dawgs this cycle:
- Georgia isn’t going anywhere. In fact, it may have just begun.
- The nation’s top defense for the past three years now adds another elite QB talent to its offensive line.
- Georgia’s NFL promotion has been the best in college football over the past three seasons. The Dawgs upped the ante with an obvious NFL first-round pick. UGA has yet to develop a first round QB, WR and TE during Smart Athens. The only positions the Dawgs haven’t worked on yet are at guard and center.
- That Brock Bowers falla is ready to solve that at tight end. Raiola’s decision leaves the Dawgs with an obvious first-round talent at that position. He also helps get future first round WR types to follow him.
- The Class of 2024 is eager to compete with the 5-star QB every day in practice for his college career.
- Raiola in Athens means offensive skill players could line up on the nation’s No. 1 offense. Those tight boxes will be few and far between for RBs in his play-action game.
- The decision, along with the firm commitment of 2024 4-star QB Ryan Puglisi, will solidify the QB depth chart in Athens for the 2026 season with great pass rushers.
There is also a very common national perception around Riola news. With Raiola on his way to Georgia, the rest of college football suggests what to think.
Rival schools and fan bases should embrace what the ‘Dawgs have accomplished over the past two seasons with former walk-ons and mid-major college scholarship transfers. What can this program do now with the nation’s No. 1 overall prospect at quarterback? That’s a scary thought for SEC foes and an interesting thought for DawgNation.
While we disagree with this line of thinking, that’s a knee-jerk national reaction to the Riola news. If Rayola Bennett is anywhere near the contender and winner he was in Athens, the ‘Dawgs may actually have better days for this football program.
If Smart wins another national title and leads the way for 5-star receivers to go on to become first-round picks in the NFL, there would be nothing left on the table for rivals to recruit negatively. Bulldogs.
SENTELL’S Intel
(See recently read DawgNation.com)