Chandler, Arizona quarterback Dylan Raiola has committed to the Buckeyes.
He becomes the sixth five-star quarterback in a little over three years to commit to Ohio State. The first was Justin Fields in January of 2019 when he announced his transfer to the Buckeyes. Four months later, Kyle McCord committed. Eight months later, CJ Stroud did the same. In November of 2020, Quinn Ewers joined McCord in the 2021 class. A little over a year later, Devin Brown added his name to the Buckeyes’ 2022 class.
Raiola is the No. 1 quarterback — and No. 1 player overall — in the 2024 recruiting class in 247Sports’ and On3’s rankings. He is the No. 3 quarterback in the 247Sports Composite and the No. 8 player nationally.
Raiola (6-3 225) had offers from everywhere, but Ohio State won the battle over fellow suitors USC, Alabama, Georgia, Oregon, Michigan, Nebraska, Notre Dame, Clemson, and many, many more. He took two unofficial visits to OSU this spring, which clearly solidified his feelings toward Ohio State.
As a sophomore last season, Raiola threw for 3,243 yards and 42 touchdowns.
Raiola is a Nebraska legacy. His father Dominic was an All-American center for the Huskers at the end of the previous century. The home-state Huskers were a draw but the prospects of being developed by Ryan Day and playing for championships were a major selling point.
On the field, Raiola is a gifted passer. He has all of the arm angles and can also adjust his height via a jump or a bend in order to increase his number of angles. Like all quarterbacks, he is at his best with a clean pocket, but can make plays through the air when protection breaks down. His ability to throw receivers open is special and he has the confidence in his receivers to be where they need to be.
Raiola is the first commit in the 2024 class for the Buckeyes and he will now get to work on the recruiting trail attempting to add future teammates.
You can watch all 17 minutes of Dylan Raiola’s sophomore highlights below.