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Dylan Raiola and the only remaining way Georgia can build on its dominance By Ari Wasserman REDONDO BEACH, Calif. — Dylan Raiola trotted over the track and onto the field for the first workout of the Elite 11 Finals on Wednesday evening. People pointed and whispered. Raiola lined up side-by-side with reigning Heisman Trophy winner Caleb Williams for a drill. The two dropped back in unison and fired off tandem bullet throws. People pointed and whispered. Good pass. Bad pass. It didn’t matter. After anything the five-star quarterback from Phoenix did, people pointed and whispered. Yes, the Elite 11 Finals is an invite-only camp for a collection of the best quarterback prospects in the country, but Raiola — a Georgia commitment who is the No. 1 overall player in the 2024 class in the 247Sports Composite — was the main event. This was the first chance for many media members and onlookers to get their eyes on the future star of the sport. For others who have had the privilege of watching him throw in the past, it’s the first time seeing him compete with similarly talented players. It was much-needed context. It was revelatory. It was an exhibit. It was also an impossible test for Raiola to pass. Better than the hype when the hype is through the roof? Good luck. “People are going to say what they want to say,” Raiola said. “I try to keep that out of my circle and really try to lock in on what really matters. I don’t think anybody is perfect. I try to shoot for perfection, but knowing that’s not going to happen, you still have to keep shooting for it. … It comes with the territory. It’s a blessing to be viewed (this way). I just fall back on my training and all the people who poured into me.” Anything Raiola does on this field during the three-day camp, short of winning the entire competition, isn’t going to be enough. After the first night, some were overwhelmed by Raiola’s ability. He certainly passes the eye test, with his 6-foot-2 frame and thighs thicker than tree trunks. But were also some analysts who came away impressed but not blown away. It’s the burden the No. 1 overall player has to bear at the Elite 11, whether it was Quinn Ewers two years ago or Raiola now. That’s the type of burden Georgia wants its future quarterback to carry. Perfection or failure. Dylan Raiola, Georgia and why it's so hard for other programs to win big Raiola may not even realize it yet, but that is the quality that attracted him to Georgia. He could have picked anywhere to go to school, but he chose the program that has won back-to-back national championships. You may say that it’s impossible to further improve what Kirby Smart has built in Athens given the Bulldogs are loaded with talent, recruit at an absurdly efficient rate and already have the big trophies. But that wouldn’t be true. Raiola could be the key to making Georgia the one thing it hasn’t yet become: a place every five-star quarterback has to strongly consider before making a decision because it routinely signs and develops studs at the position. “I really say it’s keeping that culture going,” Raiola said. “It’s special to be a part of that program and to be considered a Bulldog.” Georgia just won consecutive national championships with Stetson Bennett at quarterback. That’s the heartwarming story of a former walk-on turned legend. Now he’s in the NFL. Next up at quarterback is presumably Carson Beck, a former four-star prospect who was ranked outside of the top 200 in the 2020 recruiting class. Even with quarterbacks such as Brock Vandagriff, a former five-star prospect, and Gunner Stockton, a former top-125 overall player, on the roster, Georgia isn’t known as a can’t-miss destination for elite-level quarterback recruits. The Bulldogs haven’t had a first-round pick at the position since Matthew Stafford in 2009. Raiola looked past that because of the relationship he has with Smart and the staff. He became enamored with how excellence is demanded in Athens. Raiola is also close with Stafford. He calls him “Uncle Matt” because his father, Dominic Raiola, snapped the ball to Stafford for six years in the NFL. First-year Georgia offensive coordinator Mike Bobo developed Stafford in college during his previous stint on Georgia’s staff. “I just felt connected to Georgia,” he said. Raiola’s initial commitment went to Ohio State in May 2022, which made sense given Ryan Day’s track record of developing quarterbacks. But Raiola decommitted from the Buckeyes in December and reopened his recruitment. Because he has personal connections to Nebraska — his uncle is on Matt Rhule’s staff and his father played for the Cornhuskers before a successful NFL career — there was some thought that Raiola could shock the world. Had Raiola chosen Nebraska, he could have been the face of a program rebuild. “When making a decision, I tried to take every emotion out of it and make a decision based solely off of relationships,” he said. “Nebraska is going to be a great program. Coach Rhule is going to do a great job there. I just felt more connected to Georgia and their whole coaching staff, not only on the offensive side of the ball, but defensive as well.” Raiola is just a teenager who lives in Arizona, but he was aware of how much his decision to commit to Georgia hurt Nebraska fans hoping for a five-star life raft. He just couldn’t make that a part of his decision. “I care about what people think, but at the same time, I don’t know how to say it, I just take it with a grain of salt,” he said. “I am thankful for people who have been pulling for me, but at the end of the day, I have to make a decision that’s best for my family and myself. That’s what it comes down to.” Nebraska may have been the more difficult path, but people don’t appreciate enough what Raiola’s success could mean for Georgia. Yes, the Bulldogs are back-to-back national champions, but picture a world in which Raiola goes to Athens, wins a Heisman and adds another national title to the trophy case. That shows five-star quarterbacks across the country that Georgia and its staff belong in the conversation with Lincoln Riley and Ryan Day as a destination for quarterbacks. If that happens, who is catching Georgia in this next decade? So as Raiola continues to work out at the Elite 11 and has every single throw analyzed, we will keep pointing and whispering. He’s worth the discussion, both as a high schooler participating in this camp and the future face of Georgia football. He hopes the discussion never stops.