Chad Simmons discusses Dylan Raiola, Georgia Bulldogs
Georgia has a quarterback committed in the Class of 2024, but that’s not stopping the Bulldogs from going after the top overall player – quarterback Dylan Raiola. Since his decommitment from Ohio State in December, Georgia has often been mentioned with him. In fact, Kirby Smart’s program is second according to the On3 Recruiting Prediction Machine. That’s got Director of Recruiting Chad Simmons talking about the connection between Raiola and Georgia.
“Georgia at one time was probably the front runner for Dylan before he committed to Ohio State,” Simmons said during an appearance on The Inside Scoop On3 Football Recruiting Show with Josh Newberg. “They were the first ones to offer. I know Kirby Smart and Todd Monken are both going to check on him next week, the final week they can be on the road. He’s been to Athens four, five, six times. He knows the program, the community, and obviously Georgia is winning. He loves the offensive scheme and style of Todd Monken as well.”
“Anytime you’re ranked at the top, I think that kind of speaks for itself. The talent’s there. He’s got good size, good arm strength. I think what sets Dylan apart though, just from me being around him the last year or whatever, watching him work and compete, it’s just those intangibles,” Simmons added. “Obviously his dad played in then NFL for 10+ years. He communicates with Matthew Stafford, guys that played in the NFL. He’s always wanting to learn. He’s not focused on a typical high school junior about girlfriends, social media. His focus is football, his craft, what can make him different, what can make him the best, what can set him up for success. Obviously he checks the box for arm strength, size, football IQ, but I think that work ethic, intangibles, ability to extend plays outside the pocket, he was a big time baseball player as well so he’s athletic, the little things set himself apart.”
Simmons said he would guess Raiola will make a decision before his senior season begins in the fall but that visits could be on the way for the five-star-plus signal caller out of Chandler, Ariz. Georgia remains in the mix alongside the likes of Nebraska, USC and Oregon – among others who are trying to get him on campus at some point soon.
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Raiola was able to check out Georgia, at least by seeing the team in action, shortly after his decommitment, heading to SoFi Stadium in Los Angeles to check out the National Championship Game. While he has a sister who plays volleyball at TCU, Raiola certainly came away more impressed with the performance by Georgia.
“I’ll start off by saying TCU had a fantastic year and they had a great football team, but you can just tell it’s different,” Raiola told Simmons. “Georgia is different. The way they do everything is first class. Everyone around the building is shooting for the same thing. The relationships with players to staff feels like a family. What coach Smart has been able to do is extremely special. Like I said in the beginning, it’s different. Georgia is a special place. Going 15-0 is unheard of. It just shows how the players buy into Coach Smart and all his coaches.”
One thing to watch with Raiola will be where his next visit is to – potentially as soon as the end of this month. He won’t be on the road this weekend or in February for the dead period, but during the spring Simmons expects to see him hit the road.
