Tag: Dylan Raiola

Sep 7, 2024; Lincoln, Nebraska, USA; Nebraska Cornhuskers quarterback Dylan Raiola (15) hands the ball off to wide receiver Jacory Barney Jr. (17) against the Colorado Buffaloes during the first quarter at Memorial Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Dylan Widger-Imagn Images

After OT home loss, Nebraska heads out to face Purdue

Posted on | by Field Level Media

In a way, it will be a tiebreaker of sorts when Nebraska travels to Purdue for a Saturday afternoon game.

The teams have played 12 times with each winning six, so the winner will not only gain an important Big Ten conference victory, but the lead in the series.

More important than that, each team just wants to get back in the win column after falling last week.

The Cornhuskers (3-1, 0-1 Big Ten) took their first loss of the season in heartbreaking fashion, losing 31-24 at home in overtime against Illinois. Nebraska is set to play its first road game.

Meanwhile, the Boilermakers (1-2, 0-0) are seeking to find their footing at home after a pair of lopsided losses, first at home against Notre Dame then at Oregon State.

Each team relies heavily on its quarterback for production, although the two players have different levels of experience.

Nebraska features one of the country’s top freshman signal-callers, Dylan Raiola, who has completed 72.2 percent of his passes (83 of 115) for 967 yards and eight touchdowns with two interceptions.

“He’s everything you want,” Purdue coach Ryan Walters said of Raiola. “Big and confident. I think the confident piece sort of sticks out the most. He’s not afraid to throw the ball in tight windows. He trusts his guys to go make plays. He can throw it from every different type of platform and get it there pretty accurately.”

Purdue has a quarterback who has an experienced quarterback, senior Hudson Card, who has connected on 63.2 percent of his passes (43 of 68) for 453 yards and six touchdowns with three interceptions.

Nebraska coach Matt Rhule called Card “an excellent quarterback,” but also is leery of a Purdue ground attack that produced 263 rushing yards against Oregon State. Devin Mockobee had 168 yards, while Reggie Love III had 66 yards.

“We have guys that I know can really respond,” Rhule said. “They’re going to have to because (the Boilermakers) run outside zone as well as any team we’ll face this year, and we’ll have a lot to get done.”

–Field Level Media

Chandler quarterback Dylan Raiola throws during a scrimmage against Williams Field High in Gilbert.

5-star freshman Dylan Raiola to start at QB for Nebraska

Posted on | by Field Level Media

As expected, Nebraska coach Matt Rhule named freshman Dylan Raiola the starting quarterback for the Cornhuskers’ season opener against UTEP on Aug. 31.

The last — and only — true freshman to start at quarterback for Nebraska was Adrian Martinez in 2018. Raiola will be the fourth true freshman in Huskers history to start any game at quarterback, joining Martinez, Tommie Frazier (seven starts in 1992) and Cody Green (two starts in 2009).

Speaking earlier this week on “The Jim Rome Show,” Rhule said Raiola, 19, is the whole package.

“He has tremendous arm talent. He’s big. He’s physical,” Rhule said. “He’s powerful but it’s not ’til he gets here that you truly see what makes him special. He’s a tremendous teammate. He works at it all day long. One of the first guys in the building, one of the last guys to leave. And he’s got humble confidence that exudes from him.”

Raiola bested returning starter Heinrich Haarberg and fellow true freshman Daniel Kaelin to earn the starting job.

Raiola, who played his senior season at Buford High School in Georgia, flipped his commitment from Georgia to Nebraska just before the early signing period last December.

At the time, the five-star recruit was the No. 6 overall prospect in the 247Sports composite rankings. He committed to Ohio State in 2022, decommitted before the end of the year and chose Georgia last May over Nebraska and Southern California.

Raiola became the second highest-rated recruit in Nebraska program history when he signed his national letter of intent.

He is the son of Dominic Raiola, who played center at Nebraska and spent 14 years in the NFL with the Detroit Lions.

Rhule is in his second season at Nebraska, charged with turning around a storied program that hasn’t played in a bowl game since 2016. The Cornhuskers were 5-7 last season.

–Field Level Media

Pinnacle High School quarterbacks Wyatt Horton (left) and Dylan Raiola (right) attend a football practice on campus in Phoenix on May 2, 2023. High School Football Pinnacle Spring Football 70170007007

No. 1 prospect Dylan Raiola enrolls at Georgia high school

Posted on | by Field Level Media

Quarterback Dylan Raiola, the No. 1 player in the 2024 class and committed to Georgia, is moving closer to Athens.

His father, former NFL offensive lineman Dominic Raiola, told The Arizona Republic that Dylan enrolled Wednesday morning at Buford High School, about an hour from Georgia’s campus.

The younger Raiola transferred from Chandler High School in Chandler, Ariz., to Pinnacle High School in Phoenix after the 2022 season. But because the Arizona Interscholastic Association has not yet approved him to play at Pinnacle, he moved on to Georgia to guarantee he’d have the chance to play a full senior season, per the report.

Approval in Arizona wouldn’t come until August, and if Raiola didn’t get the OK to play right away, he’d have to sit the first half of the season. The family decided to play it safe and enrolled him at Buford, which begins its football season on Aug. 18 against powerhouse St. Francis Academy of Baltimore.

Raiola threw for 2,435 yards and 22 touchdowns at Chandler. He played one season there after transferring from Burleson, Texas.

Previously committed to Ohio State, Raiola changed his mind last winter and pledged to Georgia in May.

–Field Level Media

Pinnacle High School quarterbacks Wyatt Horton (left) and Dylan Raiola (right) attend a football practice on campus in Phoenix on May 2, 2023. High School Football Pinnacle Spring Football 70170007007

Top 2024 recruit QB Dylan Raiola commits to Georgia

Posted on | by Field Level Media

Five-star quarterback and the No. 1 Class of 2024 recruit Dylan Raiola committed to Georgia on Monday, just more than one year after originally committing to Ohio State.

The 6-foot-3, 220-pound Raiola decommitted from the Buckeyes in December. He committed to Ohio State on May 9, 2022, picking the Buckeyes over a slew of schools that included Georgia.

This time, he selected the Bulldogs over Southern Cal and Nebraska, making the announcement on Twitter.

As a junior last season at Chandler High School in suburban Phoenix, Raiola completed better than 64 percent of his passes for 2,435 yards, with 22 touchdowns and five interceptions.

The 247Sports composite has had Raiola ranked No. 1 overall in his recruiting class since June.

Raiola’s father, Dominic Raiola, played center for the Detroit Lions for 14 seasons, retiring after the 2014 season. The elder Raiola played collegiately at Nebraska.

–Field Level Media

Sep 10, 2022; Columbus, Ohio, USA; Ohio State Buckeyes helmets before the game against the Arkansas State Red Wolves at Ohio Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Joseph Maiorana-USA TODAY Sports

2024 QB Air Noland commits to Ohio State

Posted on | by Field Level Media

Blue-chip quarterback Air Noland committed to Ohio State’s 2024 class, helping to ease the sting of the decommitment of No. 1 QB Dylan Raiola.

Raiola, from the Phoenix area, pledged to the Buckeyes in May 2022 but backed off seven months later, with Nebraska, Georgia and Southern California the presumed frontrunners to land him.

The 247Sports composite ranks Noland as the No. 8 quarterback and the No. 84 overall player in the 2024 class.

The left-hander, a four-star prospect from Langston Hughes High School in Fairburn, Ga., announced his pick Saturday night, choosing the Buckeyes over finalists Alabama, Arkansas, Clemson, Miami, Oregon and Texas A&M.

“Of course they have a great coaching staff,” Noland told 247Sports about picking Ohio State. “But what stood out to me was the way they prepare their quarterbacks on and off the field, regardless of if he’s reading a coverage or a business opportunity off the field.”

As a junior, he led his high school team to an undefeated season and a state championship, throwing for 4,095 yards and 55 touchdowns, per 247Sports.

Ohio State’s class currently stands No. 4 in the nation in the 247Sports rankings. The nine commitments include a pair of five-star wide receivers, Jeremiah Smith of Hollywood, Fla., and Mylan Graham from New Haven, Ind.

–Field Level Media

Sophomore quarterback, Dylan Raiola poses for a photo at Chandler High School's practice football fields on March 10, 2022, in Chandler, AZ. High School Football Dylan Raiola

5-star 2024 QB Dylan Raiola commits to Ohio State

Posted on | by Field Level Media

Five-star quarterback Dylan Raiola committed to Ohio State’s Class of 2024.

Ranked as the No. 3 quarterback and the No. 8 overall player in the class by the 247Sports composite, Raiola announced his decision with a video posted to social media Monday night on his 17th birthday.

He chose the Buckeyes over Alabama, Georgia, Southern California, Texas and Oregon.

Raiola played last season at Burleson High School in Texas, where he was coached by former NFL quarterback Jon Kitna. He threw for 3,341 yards and 32 touchdowns as a sophomore, according to MaxPreps.

He since transferred to Chandler High School in suburban Phoenix.

His father, Dominic Raiola, played center for the Detroit Lions for 14 seasons, retiring after the 2014 season.

Ohio State added four-star quarterback Devin Brown of Draper, Utah, in the Class of 2022 but does not yet have a QB commitment in its 2023 class.

–Field Level Media