Dylan Raiola flips from Georgia to Nebraska: How it could impact 2024 SEC Championship odds
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The college football world was buzzing last week when news broke that five-star QB Dylan Raiola would be taking a visit to Nebraska, despite having committed to Georgia. According to college football insider Pete Thamel, Raiola has made the move official and will join the Cornhuskers next season.
Raiola leaves Georgia in the dust, potentially altering 2024 SEC Championship odds
Raiola was the Bulldogs’ highest-ranked player in the 2024 recruiting cycle and even moved to the state of Georgia earlier this year to attend Buford High School and be closer to Athens. His level of commitment to UGA made it seem unlikely that the QB would consider going anywhere but Georgia.
However, Raiola has family connections to Nebraska football after his father, Dominic, played for the Cornhuskers before joining the Detroit Lions for 14 seasons. Dylan’s uncle, Donovan, is Nebraska’s offensive line coach.
The shocking news of Dylan’s flip to the Cornhuskers came roughly one hour after Carson Beck announced he’d be returning to Georgia for his senior season. It’s possible that Raiola is looking to start immediately once in the college ranks, and it’s unclear if Kirby Smart would’ve given Raiola that opportunity upon Beck’s return.
Conference realignment will make 2024 SEC Championship more challenging for UGA
Winning the 2024 SEC Championship will be harder than ever for the Bulldogs. Not only are Texas and Oklahoma joining the SEC, but the conference is also doing away with the SEC East and West next season.
Without a formidable team consistently challenging the Dawgs in the SEC East, Georgia has appeared in six of the last seven SEC Championships.
SEC teams released their 2024 schedules last week, and UGA is slated to face much tougher opponents than it did this season. Georgia will square off with Clemson, Alabama, Texas, Ole Miss, and Tennessee, which promise to be challenging matchups.
Raiola could’ve possibly beaten out Beck for the starting job in spring camp, but Dylan would’ve been a valuable asset to Georgia, even as a backup. When Texas QB Quinn Ewers missed a few games due to injury this season, four-star recruit Maalik Murphy stepped in and kept the season afloat until Ewers was healthy, leading to Texas earning a College Football Playoff berth.
With Raiola opting to play Nebraska, UGA will have less depth at QB. Plus, other Georgia commits may take the opportunity to go elsewhere, considering the 2024 class’ top QB will suit up for the Cornhuskers.
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