Jim Harbaugh visits five-star QB, former Ohio State commit Dylan Raiola

Following his announced return as the head coach of Michigan for the 2023 season, Jim Harbaugh has stayed active on the recruiting trail this week, visiting multiple priority recruits in the 2024 class. On Tuesday, Harbaugh was in Bellevue, Washington, to see 2024 tight end commit Hogan Hansen.

Along with Hansen, Harbaugh was also in Chandler, Arizona, and met with 2024 five-star quarterback Dylan Raiola, the No. 1 ranked rising junior in the country across all positions, according to the On3 Consensus. The meeting was first reported by FOX 2 News reporter Jennifer Hammond on Twitter.

Raiola, the son of former Nebraska and Detroit Lions offensive lineman Dominic Raiola, has been uncommitted for over a month after backing off his verbal pledge from Ohio State prior to the early signing period for the 2023 class. Raiola made national news in early-May when he shut down his recruitment and joined the Buckeyes.

In a recent interview with On3 Recruiting Director Chad Simmons, Raiola is ”wide-opened” and has conducted a methodical approach to finding his future home at the next level. Schools like Nebraska, whose offensive line coach, Donvoan Raiola, is the uncle of the 6-foot-3 and 225-pounder, as well as Oregon, USC, and Georgia, are heavily communicating with Raiola now that he’s back on the market.

In the early swing of the January contact period, Raiola received visits at his schol by the coaching staffs at Nebraska, Arizona State, Colorado, Georgia, and Michigan. It’s been over 10 months since the Wolverines formally offered Raiola a scholarship opportunity and are looking to get back into the picture for the No. 1 overall quarterback in 2024.

Dating back to early-June when Michigan brought in a trio of Charlotte (N.C.) Providence Day standouts for unofficial visits, quarterback recruiting this cycle has centered firmly around four-star Jadyn Davis, the No. 17 overall player nationally and No. 2 signal caller behind only Raiola. Davis flew up to Ann Arbor a total of four times last year, including for two game day visits in the fall, with Michigan continuing to trend heavily, per the On3 Recruiting Prediction Machine (RPM).

The efforts to court Davis have made him the lone formidable junior quarterback target for Michigan for quite some time. But for Harbaugh to see Raiola means that the two-time reigning Big Ten Champions are eyeing other options alongside Davis.

This past season with Chandler High, Raiola completed 64 percent of his passes for 2,435 yards, 22 touchdowns, and five interceptions, finishing with a quarterback rating of 110.8.