Nebraska to host No. 1 recruit Dylan Raiola this weekend

Nebraska’s Red-White spring game is always a big deal. But Saturday’s game is even more important than normal because the Cornhuskers are hosting five-star quarterback Dylan Raiola, the No. 1 player in the 2024 On3 Consensus.

Raiola out of Chandler (Ariz.) High is in wide demand with many of the top programs in the country. According to the On3 Recruiting Prediction Machine, USC  has a 52.2% chance of landing him. Ohio State is second with a 35.4% chance, plus he’s recently visited Georgia, Clemson and Oregon in recent weeks.

Don’t count out Nebraska

However, Nebraska should not be counted out. The Huskers are expected to be a major factor, especially since he’s the son of Nebraska and Detroit Lions offensive lineman Dominic Raiola.

“This will be Dylan Raiola’s third visit to Lincoln since June, and his first since his uncle Donovan Raiola was named Nebraska’s offensive line coach,” a Husker insider told On3.

“It’s obviously going to be a battle for Nebraska to get a player like Raiola. But the Huskers have a lot of things going for them with his family connections to the program. The big thing now is Scott Frost and his program needs to take a step in the right direction to stay in the conversation with Raiola.”

Raiola said he’s excited to get back to Lincoln and the trip is a “big deal.” That’s especially true since it’ll be one of the first times he gets to engage with new Nebraska offensive coordinator Mark Whipple. He’s joined on the visit by multiple family members, including his uncle’s fiancée and his cousin.

On3 ranks Dylan Raiola as the No. 1 player in the country, the top quarterback and the best recruit in Arizona’s 2024 class. Raiola ranks as the No. 1 player in the country, according to the On3 Consensus, a complete and equally weighted industry-generated average that utilizes all four major recruiting media companies.

Raiola currently has an On3 NIL Valuation of $94,000. The On3 NIL Valuation does not act as a tracker of the value of NIL deals an athlete has completed to date. It rather signifies an athlete’s value at a certain moment in time. Raiola ranks No. 14 in the High School Football NIL Rankings.

Other key visitors for Nebraska

Dylan Raiola is the obvious headliner for Nebraska this weekend, but he’s not the only big name in Lincoln. There are around 20 other players offered by the Huskers heading to town for the Red-White game.

Nebraska is also planning on hosting coveted defensive lineman Edric Hill out of North Kansas City (Mo.) High and four-star Joshua Manning of Lee’s Summit (Mo.) High. The Big Red has been prioritizing the Kansas City metro area in the Class of 2023 and 2024. Hill and Manning are among the area’s best.

Hill appears to be pretty open with his recruitment. Manning’s top group, according to the On3 Recruiting Prediction Machine, is Kansas, K-State, Iowa, Nebraska and Iowa State.

Four-star linebacker Raul Aguirre out of Fayetteville (Ga.) Whitewater will also be in Lincoln on Saturday. A number of teams from the Southeast are believed to be the favorites. But he is making his way through Big Ten territory to check out programs like Ohio State and Nebraska.

LSU is the overwhelming favorite to land four-star cornerback Curley Reed out of Lake Charles (La.) College Prep. But the Huskers have been pushing hard in The Boot. Getting Reed on campus is a good sign they’re getting some traction with top targets in Louisiana.

Other 2023 names to watch this weekend on visits are three-star prospects Adonijah Green, Braeden Marshall, Zach Ortwerth, Phil Picciotti, Sergio Snider, Teitum Tuioti, and Trey Wilson. Kevon Freeman, David Jones, Watts McBride, Caleb Otlewski and Phillip Roche are also visiting and have been offered by the Huskers.