Georgia, Dylan Raiola could break new ground together

RJ Young

FOX Sports College football analyst

For the second time in his career, the No. 1 overall prospect in the class of 2024 — Dylan Raiola — has announced where he plans to play college football.

This time he chose the University of Georgia, and even casual fans could tell you why.

UGA is the nation’s top college football program. This is of course not new. Georgia has been an elite program for nearly a decade, performing well above .500 in most years since the early 21st century.

But lately no one has won like UGA has won. In an era of football defined by its tumult – the advent of the transfer portal, instant eligibility for first-time transfers, the advent and continued evolution of naming, image and likeness rules and laws, changing membership of four of the Power 5 leagues – Georgia has become a model of sustained excellence.

It wasn’t until last week, when I ranked the Bulldogs No. 1 in my post-spring football rankings, that I recognized Georgia as the only program to repeat as back-to-back national title winners without the starting quarterback being selected in the first round. of the NFL Draft. It’s a program built not because of the quarterback’s talents, but in spite of them.

With Raiola’s commitment, the Dawgs get their seventh five-star quarterback in school history. But none have led UGA to a national title. Not Justin Fields, not Jacob Eason, not Aaron Murray, not Matthew Stafford, not DJ Shockley.

Now third-year quarterback Brock Vandagriff could turn that around in seven months. But he would have to get through four-year quarterback Carson Beck to even win the job, and Beck looks like offensive coordinator Mike Bobo who will choose to lead his offense in Year 1.

Unless Vandagriff wins the job in camp, takes over due to injury, or comes off the bench in the second half of the national title game to beat Alabama, say, Raiola will be the next man to have a chance to live up to expectations . being with 5 stars: winning a national title.

Many thought Fields would be that man, and he was good looking too. With Raiola’s size, great arm and mobility, the comparison is striking. But will Raiola do more at UGA than Fields?

Almost certainly. At UGA, Fields only passed for 328 yards, rushed for 266 more and scored eight TDs in 2018. But the real benchmark for Raiola is what Fields did after moving to Ohio State. In 2019 with the Buckeyes, Fields passed for 3,273 yards — 11.4 yards per attempt — rushing for 484 and totaling 51 TDs en route to a Big Ten title and CFP appearance.

In 2020, he was instrumental in simply allowing Big Ten football to play during COVID, then led his program to the national title game with just eight games played that season. He was also undefeated against Michigan.

This sets the bar — two CFP appearances in two years, recognition as a Heisman finalist, a national title appearance, and at least one 3,200-yard passing, 450-yard rushing, 50-plus total TD season. Given Raiola’s net worth, these numbers should be within reach.

All of this should sting for Ohio State fans, of course. After all, Kirby Smart built UGA around continuity and defensive dominance, not great quarterback play. Still, Raiola chose that over Ohio State.

He withdrew from his deployment after the Buckeyes lost to UGA in the Peach Bowl, a CFP semifinal game, on a missed field goal. Buckeye fans may view his decision the same way Oklahoma City Thunder fans see Kevin Durant jumping to join Golden State after the Thunder lost to the Warriors in the 2016 Western Conference Finals.

The Buckeyes could be relieved that Raiola didn’t end up at USC, where he made multiple visits and where his friend and five-star tight end Duce Robinson ended up. After beginning his high school career at Chandler (Ariz.) High School, he transferred to Robinson at Pinnacle High School in Phoenix, the alma mater of former five-star quarterback Spencer Rattler.

But the temptation to play quarterback for Lincoln Riley wasn’t enough for Raiola either. After all, Riley didn’t win a national championship.

Do you know who has that? Stetson Bennett. In fact, Bennett won two titles with the Bulldogs, became a living legend at Georgia State, and was just a fourth-round selection in the NFL Draft.

That’s the bar, and Georgia fans are fine with it. Picture this: being happy that your five-star quarterback is as good as the quarterback who walked through and was forced to play junior college ball just to make the team.

It’s a funny sport, college football.

RJ Young is a National College Football writer and analyst for FOX Sports and the host of the podcast “The Number One College Football Show.Follow him on Twitter @RJ_Young And subscribe to “The Number One College Football Show” on YouTube.