Want to attack every day with the latest Georgia football recruiting information? That’s Intel. This rep covers the immediate aftermath of 5-star QB Dylan Raiola’s commitment. He ranks as No. 1 overall prospect in the nation for 2024 in the 247Sports Composite ratings.
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Kirby Smart plays 3-D chess underwater. Not checkers.
There are people who follow Georgia football recruiting closely who appreciate the turn of phrase. They often use it to describe how Smart led the recruiting effort for back-to-back national champions.
New in the last 24 hours is Dylan Raiola playing Dominoes. That’s the wordplay to describe the effect of No. 1 overall prospect in the nation in the 2024 Georgia recruiting class.
Raiola focused on the ‘Dawgs on Monday. Dominoes are an apt descriptor. The momentum behind Raiola’s decision will lead to more commitments.
But the feeling we get here is more like the tractor beam of the Death Star. Or even better Jordan Davis with a cannonball from a high dive on Ramsay.
The 5-star QB made a big splash. It causes a lot of ripples. We expect Raiola to be a rainmaker-level recruit for the 2024 class in Athens.
What kind of effect? We’ll let the top pledges of the 2024 class weigh in on that topic.
“UGA’s class is going to be crazy,” said 5-star CB commitment Ellis Robinson IV. “Best class in UGA history. Maybe college football history.”
“I’m really excited for Dylan and his family,” 4-star safety Peyton Woodyard said. “That’s a big commitment for Georgia and it’s very hard to keep it a secret. Go ‘Dawgs!”
Woodyard said he had known for months.
Here are 10 select national prospects we feel Raiola’s commitment will help the ‘Dawg immediately.
| Player | country | Overall ranking |
|---|---|---|
| 5-star WR Jeremiah Smith (OSU) | Opa Locka, Fla. | No. 2 (No. 1 WR) |
| 5-star S KJ Bolden | Buford, Ga. | No. 9 (No. 1 S) |
| 5-star DL Eddie Houston | Buford, Ga. | No. 14 (No. 4 DL) |
| 5-star WR Micah Hudson | Temple, Texas | No. 16 (No. 3 WR) |
| 5-star WR Ryan Wingo | St. Louis, Mo. | No. 17 (No. 4 WR) |
| 5-star RB Jordon Davison (2025) | Santa Ana, Calif. | No. 26 (No. 1 RB) |
| 4-star OT Brandon Baker | Santa Ana, Calif. | No. 32 (No. 1 OT) |
| 4-star TE Jaden Reddell | Strange, Mo. | No. 58 (No. 4 TE) |
| 4-star WR Cam Coleman | City of Phenix, Ala. | No. 59 (No. 11 WR) |
| 4-star RB Nate Frazier | Santa Ana, Calif. | No. 94 (No. 8 RB) |
Dylan Raiola Effect: Measuring the impact on the 2024 recruiting class
It was one of those decisions that everyone in the class of 2024 noticed on Monday. Prospects at various levels on Georgia’s 2024 board have an opinion on this.
“I thought it was cool,” said 5-star LB Sammy Brown. “Georgia is a perfect fit for him and his talent. It will be great to see him succeed.”
What kind of impact would a talented QB have on the UGA program? Brown wondered what that might mean if he went on to sign with the Bulldogs. He has a tough choice with Clemson, Georgia, Ohio State, Oklahoma and Tennessee in mind.
“I think it brings competition,” Brown added. “A lot of people say the linebacker is the QB of the defense so I could potentially compete with him every day.”
When a 5-star QB ranked No. 1 that the nation aspires to by whatever service does, that will make waves. Especially a recruit as plugged in as Raiola.
Especially for prized 5-star wideouts.
5-star WR Ryan Wingo said Monday it was “pretty cool” to see Raiola pick the ‘Dawgs. Those two have been linked for a long time. They visited Georgia and Nebraska together on back-to-back weekends in March.
“It doesn’t necessarily change anything,” Wingo said of the impact of Raiola’s decision on his process, but he added a clarifier.
“I know if I choose to go there I have a great QB,” he said.
Casey Poe is a priority target for the ‘Dawgs in the 2024 cycle for the offensive line. The No. The country’s 9 IOL prospect is scheduled to go to Athens this weekend for his official visit.
“I think it’s an awesome pickup for the ‘Dawgs,” Poe said Monday. “He’s a great player and will create competition no matter who’s in the QB room.”
Statesboro’s Kam Mikell is ranked No. 12 ATH of the country and the No. 156 overall prospect for 2024. He will also be in Athens this weekend on his official visit.
“I’m glad he found his home,” Mikell said. “I honestly didn’t think he would go there.”
What does Mikell think Raiola now means to the future of the Georgia program?
“The offense is going to be really dynamic,” he said.
The commitment of 5-star Ohio State WR Jeremiah Smith is the biggest target that could possibly move the needle on this news. He was asked earlier this year about what Raiola meant to Georgia for his decision.
“It can do a lot,” Smith said in March. “He’s the number one quarterback in the country. Last year he committed to me at Ohio State. He was recruiting me hard at Ohio State. He decommitted after I committed. Yeah, I mean Dylan Raiola is a great quarterback if he’s committed to that it’s a good opportunity [he would consider Georgia] probably.”
Woodyard played with Smith on the same South Florida Express 7-on-7 team. He also asked Smith in March how much Raiola’s commitment would help the ‘Dawgs.
“He asked how I would feel if Dylan Raiola did,” Smith said in March. “I told him that he and I would be scared. If Dylan Raiola commits, I know they will recruit me more if he commits.”
That’s just a sample size of the buzz happening around the country right now in the 2024 and 2025 classes. Raiola’s decision clearly created a lot of it.
Raiola posted his commitment to Georgia on his Instagram and Twitter. He cleared his Instagram after his December de-commitment from Ohio State. He wants his new commitment to be the next post on his IG.
He first posted his news on Instagram.
As of this morning, it has garnered 24,864 likes. His follower count increased. There are another 1,051 comments on that post. Current Georgia commits and players are at the top of that comment thread, along with 5-star safety KJ Bolden.
“Wonder who’s next,” Bolden said in the comment thread.
Former Bulldog Kelee Ringo points to an Arizona-to-Georgia pipeline. Smith even commented with a pair of fire emojis.
Raiola posted his commitment on his Twitter shortly thereafter.
That single entry had been viewed 2.2 million times as of Tuesday morning. That number was at 1.8 million as of late Monday night.
That post garnered 12,900 likes, 1,040 replies and another 3,586 retweets.
That puts every imaginable recruiting pitch on the table for the ‘Dawgs this cycle, including:
- Georgia isn’t going anywhere. In fact, it may just be getting started.
- The nation’s top defense for the past three years now adds another elite QB talent for the offensive side.
- Georgia’s NFL progress over the past three seasons has been the best in college football. The ‘Dawgs just added a prospect with a clear NFL first-round pick projection. UGA has yet to draft a first round QB, WR and TE during Smart’s time in Athens. Other positions the ‘Dawgs haven’t worked on yet are at guard and center.
- The Brock Bowers fella is set to solve that at tight end. Raiola’s decision sets up the ‘Dawgs with clear first-round talent at that position. He will also help the pull for later type WRs in the first round that will follow him.
- There is an allure for the 2024 class to compete with and against a 5-star QB every day in practice for their college careers
- Raiola in Athens means offensive skill players can line up on offense with the No. 1 prospect of the country. Tight boxes for RBs will be few and far between with his play-action game.
- The decision, along with a firm commitment from 2024 4-star QB Ryan Puglisi, solidifies the QB depth chart in Athens among the elite going into the 2026 season.
There is also a very common national perception around the Raiola news. It points to what the rest of college football is thinking right now with Raiola heading to Georgia.
Rival schools and fan bases should recognize what the ‘Dawgs have accomplished the last two seasons with a former walk-on and junior college scholarship transfer under center. Now what can this program do at No. 1 overall prospect in the nation in the quarterback room? That’s a scary thought for SEC opponents and an exciting thought for DawgNation to consider.
While we disagree with this line of thinking, that’s the knee-jerk national reaction to the Raiola news. If Raiola turns out to be as close to competitor and winner as Bennett is in Athens, the ‘Dawg may have better days ahead for this football program.
If Smart wins another national title with a 5-star QB at the helm throwing 5-star receivers who will be first-round picks in the NFL, there won’t be anything left on the table for rivals to be negative about. -recruit against the Bulldogs.
SENTELL’S INTEL
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