Dylan Raiola

MyBloodIsRed16 said:
How is somebody the number one player in his class for the better part of two years suddenly drop to #71 his senior year? 

Even after turning in a solid year?  
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Probably some combination of clicks, potential lack of mobility, and an effort to not let a high initial ranking (which is always a projection that includes growth that hasn't happened yet) continue to dictate the final rankings once they have the full high school career to look at. They specifically call out his -92 rushing yards as a senior in high school being incredibly low, even for a "pocket passer."On the last point, I do think there's some merit there. Some guys are freaks as underclassmen so they get ranked initially, and if they were maxed out and don't get any better as a junior/senior they probably shouldn't maintain that ranking.

But realistically all prospects are risky, and being low on a 5 star QB going to school that has never had one is probably smart. If he is a stud, Nebraska fans will let them know about it for a really long time but that's it - it's not like they have him outside the top 100. And if Nebraska can't develop him effectively and he stalls out as a decent college player, it's a feather in their cap showing they know more than everyone else. Recruiting sites figured out quite a while ago that it is smart to factor in where a kid is going (or at least who has offered him) on the OL where very few people are equipped to talk about good versus great prospects. Just don't usually see it at other positions like QB, but I think it is likely one of the factors.

 
Husker in WI said:
Probably some combination of clicks, potential lack of mobility, and an effort to not let a high initial ranking (which is always a projection that includes growth that hasn't happened yet) continue to dictate the final rankings once they have the full high school career to look at. They specifically call out his -92 rushing yards as a senior in high school being incredibly low, even for a "pocket passer."On the last point, I do think there's some merit there. Some guys are freaks as underclassmen so they get ranked initially, and if they were maxed out and don't get any better as a junior/senior they probably shouldn't maintain that ranking.

But realistically all prospects are risky, and being low on a 5 star QB going to school that has never had one is probably smart. If he is a stud, Nebraska fans will let them know about it for a really long time but that's it - it's not like they have him outside the top 100. And if Nebraska can't develop him effectively and he stalls out as a decent college player, it's a feather in their cap showing they know more than everyone else. Recruiting sites figured out quite a while ago that it is smart to factor in where a kid is going (or at least who has offered him) on the OL where very few people are equipped to talk about good versus great prospects. Just don't usually see it at other positions like QB, but I think it is likely one of the factors.
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Did they look at his o-line?  They weren't that good.  He had guys in his face most of his highlights from Buford. I don't really care, just thought it's funny he dropped that far.  A few spots sure not 70.  

 
MyBloodIsRed16 said:
How is somebody the number one player in his class for the better part of two years suddenly drop to #71 his senior year? 

Even after turning in a solid year?  
Click to expand...
Don't worry about it friend.  We both saw that all recruiting services realize that Raiola is the top QB in the country coming out of HS.  They might rank a few "dual threats" above him - which tells you a QB can do a little bit of this and a little bit of that.

We can only assume that he would have stayed a top 10 player if he remained at Georgia, or switched it up and chose Texas, USC, Alabama or Colorado instead, etc.

I think they are just butt hurt (the recruiting services) and playing down Nebraska.  I mean, if he chose Louisville or Oregon State, they would have dropped him as well.

Recruiting services are weird like that.  They ranked him at the top for years and suddenly............

 
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BigRedBuster said:
I’m not sure about this. But, I think On3 has had him a lot lower all along. 
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He was the #1 overall in their initial 2024 rankings, but again that's after these kids Sophomore years so it's even more projection than the final rankings (which also project a lot). They did bump him down from that a while ago though, they've been lower on him than the others for a bit.

I don't think it's a huge deal, and if anything hopefully just adds a bit of a chip to his shoulder - a lot of great athletes take very minor slights personally. And I do think his college choice impacted his ranking, but not in a "they hate Nebraska" way. There's just a lot of development needed for any high school recruit to live up to 5-star status, and we have zero track record of helping that happen.

 
Husker in WI said:
Probably some combination of clicks, potential lack of mobility, and an effort to not let a high initial ranking (which is always a projection that includes growth that hasn't happened yet) continue to dictate the final rankings once they have the full high school career to look at. They specifically call out his -92 rushing yards as a senior in high school being incredibly low, even for a "pocket passer."On the last point, I do think there's some merit there. Some guys are freaks as underclassmen so they get ranked initially, and if they were maxed out and don't get any better as a junior/senior they probably shouldn't maintain that ranking.

But realistically all prospects are risky, and being low on a 5 star QB going to school that has never had one is probably smart. If he is a stud, Nebraska fans will let them know about it for a really long time but that's it - it's not like they have him outside the top 100. And if Nebraska can't develop him effectively and he stalls out as a decent college player, it's a feather in their cap showing they know more than everyone else. Recruiting sites figured out quite a while ago that it is smart to factor in where a kid is going (or at least who has offered him) on the OL where very few people are equipped to talk about good versus great prospects. Just don't usually see it at other positions like QB, but I think it is likely one of the factors.
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I agree with everything you wrote but it also speaks to evaluators using a finer toothed comb with him compared to other top QB prospects. Raiola does take a lot of hits for a high school player. For example, his last two plays of the season were taking sacks on 3rd and 4th down. The big question is whether it's lack of feel in the pocket or if he is trying to get the ball downfield but afraid to throw into coverage. Physically, he's very strong and doesn't play with panic in the pocket. I think that it is an issue of just teaching Raiola about his options for escaping pressure or dump off passes.

But if you're going to criticize Raiola in that way you have to apply that to the other QBs as well. Julian Sayin has a small build and bails on his pocket if there is even the hint of pressure to throw balls underneath. Is he going to respond well to guys that cut off his escapes with ease or is he going to eat sacks and force balls into coverage? DJ Lagway stares directly at his target every play, generally throwing posts to his slot receiver that are much tougher completions in college. In high school these tendencies work because it shows off Sayin's ability to delivers darts to his 2nd or 3rd read and Lagway's ability to deliver bullets downfield into coverage. Similarly, if you just watched highlights, Raiola's tendency to hang in the pocket makes it look like he is standing up to a pass rush to complete tough passes. 

Simply put, as an incoming freshman, Raiola has the ability to put the ball anywhere he wants on the field and has the physical profile to compete in the highest levels of college football. The next part is the tough one, where he needs to learn where and when to use that talent to get the ball where it needs to go. He's been successful everywhere that he's played so it seems like the sort of thing that he will improve on.

 
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