Saturday, the college football world was shocked by the news that five-star 2024 recruit Dylan Raiola was de-committing from Ohio State. It sounds like no one was more shocked than the Buckeyes coaching staff.
Raiola’s decision was announced by On3’s Hayes Fawcett, who noted that the “6’3 225 QB from Chandler, AZ had been committed to the Buckeyes since May.”
BREAKING: Five-Star QB Dylan Raiola has Decommitted from Ohio State.
The 6’3 225 QB from Chandler, AZ had been Committed to the Buckeyes since May.
Raiola is ranked as the No. 1 Recruit in the 2024 class on all four major recruiting media services.https://t.co/aAsnJC06Yd pic.twitter.com/iPBaLSSIQ6
— Hayes Fawcett (@Hayesfawcett3) December 17, 2022
Dylan, the son of former Nebraska and Detroit Lions offensive lineman Dominic Raiola, is universally considered the No. 1 recruit in the 2024 class by each of the four major recruiting media services. He had originally committed to Ohio State in May and visited several times, including for the Buckeyes’ spring game.
“Ohio State is the best program for me to be successful. They are very transparent. The coaches are going to take care of me. The brotherhood is tight. The academics there are great. Everyone is strong there and for one another,” Raiola said to On3 after he committed.
Things, however, changed, as they do in college football. It appears that Nebraska has emerged as a strong contender to land him now, especially given that Raiola’s uncle, Donovan, is on Matt Rhule’s coaching staff there.
According to Big Ten insider Zack Carpenter, the Ohio State staff was “blindsided” by the decision.
“Raiola’s decision to de-commit is as shocking of a move as you will see on the recruiting trail in the 2024 cycle. All indications were that Raiola was firmly committed to OSU. The move happened quickly over the last week and has blindsided the Buckeye staff,” Carpenter said.
Raiola's decision to decommit is as shocking of a move as you will see on the recruiting trail in the 2024 cycle. All indications were that Raiola was firmly committed to OSU. The move happened quickly over the last week and has blindsided the Buckeye staff. https://t.co/LF6lybbqVQ
— Zack Carpenter (@Zack_Carp) December 17, 2022
The good-ish news for Ohio State is that they’re not out of the running.
“We have a lot of respect for coach Day and the Ohio State program,” Raiola’s father told 247Sports. “Everything is back on the table. His process is almost like it’s restarting. It’s not closed off to anybody.”
Never a dull moment in the world of college football recruiting.
About Sean Keeley
Along with writing for Awful Announcing and The Comeback, Sean is the Managing Editor for Comeback Media. Previously, he created the Syracuse blog Troy Nunes Is An Absolute Magician and wrote 'How To Grow An Orange: The Right Way to Brainwash Your Child Into Rooting for Syracuse.' He has also written non-Syracuse-related things for SB Nation, Curbed, and other outlets. He currently lives in Seattle where he is complaining about bagels. Send tips/comments/complaints to sean@thecomeback.com.