Five-Star Plus+ QB Dylan Raiola transferring to Georgia powerhouse for senior season

After planning to transfer from Chandler (Ariz.) High to Phoenix-area power Pinnacle in January, Five-Star Plus+ quarterback Dylan Raiola is on the move again.

The No. 1 overall prospect in the On3 Industry Ranking will play his final season of high school football at Georgia powerhouse Buford High, less than hour away from his future home at the University of Georgia. He has been enrolled in the school and will begin summer workouts later this month.

“The opportunity came up when Dylan committed to Georgia,” his dad, Dominic, told On3. “We are a close family, and we explored a couple of schools. Buford was where it worked out best. It makes sense for our family because we are 45 minutes from Athens, and we will be at every home game. We and Dylan are ready to make roots in Georgia.”

At Buford, he’ll team up with 2024 uncommitted five-stars KJ Bolden and Eddrick Houston, along with elite 2025 prospects Jadon Perlotte and Devin Williams, all of whom are either committed to the Bulldogs or top targets for Kirby Smart and Co.

Dylan Raiola will be Georgia’s ace recruiter this year

Raiola will be at every Bulldogs home game this fall, and it also gives his parents a chance to have their younger son, 2026 recruit Dayton Raiola, with them in Athens while Dylan is at UGA. This isn’t unprecedented for the Raiola family, as they moved to Texas when Dylan’s sister committed to play volleyball at TCU.

“It’s just great for our family,” Dominic said. “It’s closer to home, no red eye flights back and forth. We moved to Texas when daughter went to TCU, and we want to be there to support our kids.”

The 6-foot-3, 225-pound Raiola played his freshman and sophomore seasons at Burleson (Texas) before transferring to Chandler ahead of his junior season. After one season there, he announced that he would make the move to Pinnacle for his senior season. However, he was still in the midst of a hardship appeal process with the Arizona Interscholastic Association this summer, which if denied, could have meant a five-game suspension for him this fall before he could see the field. The hearing on that decision wouldn’t happen until August 15, just a week before Pinnacle’s first game.

Playing at Buford will both give Raiola a chance to be closer to his new home and the Bulldogs’ program, but he will now also play his last high school season in one of the most competitive classifications of high school football in the country.

In two years at the varsity level, Raiola has completed 64 percent of his passes while throwing for more than 5,700 yards and 54 touchdowns.