On3 Roundtable: Rusty Mansell makes Georgia prediction for Dylan Raiola, talks impact

Georgia has emerged in recent weeks as one of the favorites for Five-Star Plus+ quarterback Dylan Raiola. DawgsHQ co-owner and publisher Rusty Mansell believes the smoke is real.

His second article since joining the On3 team Monday was entering a prediction for the Bulldogs to land Raiola.

Mansell then joined J.D. PicKell on the On3 Roundtable to discuss his selection and why he felt confident to predict Raiola to Georgia at this time.

“Well, I’ve been doing this long enough to know that sometimes things happen at the end,” Mansell said. “But right now, I do feel like there’s a lot of momentum toward Georgia. Reported this morning on DawgsHQ that Mike Bobo was out in Arizona using one of his two spring evaluation visits there. There is a lot of connection with Mike Bobo and his family through Matthew Stafford. Raiola’s dad played with him. That’s well documented.

“A lot of things I kind of feel like are trending toward Georgia. He’s got to say it. He got to come out and say I’m a Georgia Bulldog. So far, he has not done that. But as far as making a prediction, I was comfortable enough to put that in on DawgsHQ. we’ll see where it ends up.”

Raiola was originally committed to Ohio State last year but decommitted in December. He has been linked to USC and Nebraska — the latter his father’s alma mater — but Georgia has the current lead in the On3 Recruiting Prediction Machine.

A commitment from Dylan Raiola could help Georgia land more talented playmakers

Georgia has recruited many elite quarterbacks over the years but a commitment from Dylan Raiola would be a major milestone for the program under Kirby Smart.

Raiola is ranked as the No. 1 quarterback in the 2023 cycle by all four major recruiting services. He is also the No. 1 overall recruit in the 2024 On3 Industry Ranking, a weighted average that utilizes all four major recruiting media companies.

The opportunity to play with a player like Raiola will likely lead to some other top players wanting to join him.

Mansell highlighted two of the best pass catchers in the cycle — St. Louis (Mo.) St. Louis University five-star wide receiver Ryan Wingo and Raymore (Mo.) Raymore-Peculiar four-star tight end Jaden Reddell — as potential pieces to follow Raiola to Athens, Ga., if he elected to commit to the Bulldogs.

“Obviously all the kids follow it as much as the fans. You’re interested in where a young man like Dylan Raiola ends up because they want to play with the quarterback as well,” Mansell said. “If Georgia were to get him into the fold in this class, two guys I would watch would be Ryan Wingo, a wide receiver out of Saint Louis and then Jaden Reddell, another young man out of Kansas City, a tight end, both of these guys highly-recruited, very athletic guys.

“When you watch a decision, like Dylan Raiola, you want to see who wants to come play with him.

“Those are two names I feel like George it would increase their chances, at least, at two elite prospects that play on the offensive side of the ball.”