Five-star quarterback Dylan Raiola, the #1 player in the class of 2024 at 247Sports Composite, transfers from the Phoenix (Ariz.) Pinnacle to Buford (Ga.) High for his final year of prep football. Here’s what you need to know:
- Raiola committed to Georgia on May 15. The 6-foot-3, 220-pound prospect, who was originally committed to Ohio, will move to Georgia a year earlier than expected.
- Buford will be the fourth high school Raiola will attend and the third team he will play for. He transferred to Pinnacle in January 2023 but did not play a game for the school.
- Buford is one of the best high school football programs in the country. Since 2000, 197 players have signed scholarships to play college football. Of those 197 players, 121 have gone to Division I schools. In the class of 2022, Buford sent nine prospects to Power 5 schools.
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Raiola spent three days last week competing in the Elite 11 Finals in Los Angeles, an invitation-only camp for 20 of the best quarterback prospects. Although Raiola didn’t win the competition — Carlsbad (California)’s Julian Sain earned five-star honors — he has routinely emerged as one of the more complete prospects in the field. Raiola makes a 50-yard pass look easy.
Raiola isn’t the only player in Georgia’s Class of 2024. Four-star Ryan Puglisi of Avon (Conn.) Old Farms, the 139th player overall and the 12th QB, is committed to the Bulldogs in October. Puglisi was also invited to the Elite 11 camp.
Since Raiola has changed high schools so much and is already out of Ohio State, there is an idea that things could get wild with his recruiting again. Nebraska, after all, is significant in his life due to deep-rooted family ties. But given that his family is making an effort to move across the country to the Atlanta suburbs to be within an hour of the Georgia campus, it seems clear that Raiola is certain of where he will end up. – Wasserman
Who are some of Raiola’s new colleagues?
While Raiola will certainly become one of Buford’s headliners, he is far from the only elite on this team. The Wolves also boast five-star safety KJ Bolden, the No. 7 in the nation, and five-star defensive lineman Eddrick Houston, the No. 19 in the nation. Both are top five players in Georgia with ample performances that could help Raiola make the transition across the country from Arizona to Georgia.
Buford’s coach Bryant Appling was named head coach in January 2019 and wasted no time playing on the floor, as Buford won state championships in each of his first three seasons at the helm. Although Wolverhampton exited early in the playoffs last year against Walton, this is a dominant team with great talent who now play in Class 7A in Georgia.
Bolden and Houston can set the tone defensively while Raiola runs the offense. They are also team leaders. “They don’t mind calling up their teammates or calling up best friends on the field and trying to get the ball the right way. Kids are really different from when they walked across campus with us when they were 14 and left at 18,” Appling said. This month for his two defensive stars. “But I’ve seen these kids grow up in a bunch of different ways on and off the field. I just think (whoever lands them), they’re going to get kids who are gym rats and who love the ball and who love to work and who love to train and who love to do whatever it takes to be a great footballer.” – Raynor
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(Photo: Ari Wasserman/ the athlete)
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