Nation's No. 1 QB Dylan Raiola excited about return to Ohio State

Chandler (Ariz.) High sophomore quarterback Dylan Raiola is one of the most coveted quarterbacks in the country — regardless of class. Raiola already has more than two dozen offers. While he isn’t narrowing anything down, he is starting to sort through his top teams and take unofficial visits.

Early on, he lists Alabama, Clemson, Georgia, USC, Oregon, Ohio State, Notre Dame, Texas and Nebraska as his top teams. And it’s Ohio State’s turn to host him and his family today on an unofficial visit.

The elite signal-caller has already visited the Buckeyes this fall, but is eager to get on campus today for a visit. He talked with On3 Director of Recruiting Chad Simmons about what stands out in Columbus and the relationships he is building. For the full interview with Raiola, check out the embedded video below.

First visit to Columbus was a huge success

The 6-foot-3, 210-pound Raiola tripped to Columbus at the end of October when the Buckeyes hosted Penn State. It was his first time on campus, but Ohio State’s staff made a major impact on him.

“That [visit] is a big part of why Ohio State’s up there is because, you know, a big game like Penn State and for them to still make the time to show me around, show me what Ohio State has to offer. That means a lot to me,” Raiola said. “And, you know, Coach Day is doing something special up there and it’s exciting to watch.”

In addition to head coach Ryan Day, Raiola has developed a strong relationship with quarterbacks coach Corey Dennis, who has been his primary recruiter for his entire recruitment. That bond is a big reason why he chose to visit Columbus in the first place.

“I think just a relationship that I built with Coach Dennis, I talked to him on the phone about three or four days before I got up there,” Raiola added. “And, you know, it’s just when the first time we got on the phone, you know, I was like, this guy is great guy. He knows how to develop quarterbacks, knows how to develop a young man. … There was definitely something special about Coach Dennis and my relationship, you know, even before that visit.”

Dylan Raiola grew up familiar with the OSU program

While his dad, Dominic Raiola, was playing for the Detroit Lions, Raiola learned about “the program up north” that Michiganders aren’t particularly fond of. But he got to see the Ohio State-Michigan rivalry and see the Buckeyes in a way he didn’t see other programs.

“Growing up in Michigan with my dad playing, I always see “The Ohio State” and they refer to it as team up north,” he said. “So just just watching that game growing up and then, you know, Coach Dennis contacted my head coach and I was like this, ‘This is awesome.’ Getting on the phone with him and going out to Columbus and meeting with Coach Day and you know, just just everything that we did on that game was it was really awesome.”

Now, on his return trip, Dylan Raiola has a more focused idea of what he wants to see and learn from the program.

“I definitely want to see what their offense is doing. With C.J. Stroud being back up there again, he’s a great quarterback who lit it up as a freshman,” he said. On the offer side, it’s really just developing a relationship and kind of picking Coach Dennis’s brain on how to develop, still my age being young, keep developing, keep learning things every day.”