USC target, No. 1 2024 recruit Dylan Raiola commits to Georgia

USC got Bear Alexander from Georgia. The Trojans, however, lost out on a big recruitment to Georgia. Fair trade? That’s for you to decide, but the news is confirmed: Dylan Raiola, an elite quarterback who was the top available recruit in the Class of 2024, has committed to Kirby Smart and the Bulldogs.

UGA Wire has more on the story with Raiola:

“He chose Georgia over Nebraska, Oregon and USC.

“A former Ohio State commitment, Raiola last visited UGA in March and plans to do so again in June. It was his sixth visit to UGA.  Georgia was also the first program to offer Raiola back in June of 2021.

“Raiola has strong ties to Georgia via former Bulldog quarterback Matthew Stafford, who is Raiola’s godfather.

“Raiola’s father, Dominic, is a former Nebraska center who spent several years of his NFL career playing alongside Stafford for the Detroit Lions.”

Let’s examine this development and look at its larger significance in college football, with USC being part of the picture:

HEADLINER

Georgia obviously has to be elated about this. Kirby Smart with an elite quarterback? That’s the dream in Athens, the ultimate scenario for the two-time defending national champions.

RAIOLA-OHIO STATE PLOT POINT

Remember that Raiola was a former Ohio State commit. Imagine a playoff meeting between Raiola and OSU.

NOT NEBRASKA

Nov 28, 2022; Omaha, Nebraska, US; Nebraska Cornhuskers head coach Matt Rhule at the introductory press conference at the Hawks Championship Center on the University of Nebraska-Lincoln campus. Mandatory Credit: Steven Branscombe-USA TODAY Sports

Matt Rhule is doing a great job so far at Nebraska, but he couldn’t land this very big fish.

NOT THE BIG TEN

Dec 31, 2022; Atlanta, Georgia, USA; Georgia Bulldogs players celebrate as Ohio State Buckeyes place kicker Noah Ruggles (95) misses a 50 yard field goal in the final seconds of the second half of the Peach Bowl in the College Football Playoff semifinal at Mercedes-Benz Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Adam Cairns-The Columbus Dispatch
Ncaa Football Peach Bowl Ohio State At Georgia

The simple fact that Raiola did not go to a Big Ten competitor makes this a less-than-fully-disastrous outcome for USC. Raiola going to Ohio State or Nebraska would have been a worse result.

MALACHI NELSON

Apr 15, 2023; Los Angeles, CA, USA; USC Trojans quarterback Malachi Nelson (8) and Caleb Williams (13) watch the game from the sideline during the Spring Game at Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum. Mandatory Credit: Kiyoshi Mio-USA TODAY Sports

USC should feel fully confident that Malachi Nelson will be ready for the 2024 season and can become an elite quarterback in his own right. If he delivers the goods, Nelson will make the Raiola story a lot less significant.

KLIFF KINGSBURY

Jan 8, 2023; Santa Clara, California, USA; Arizona Cardinals head coach Kliff Kingsbury walks towards the locker room before the start of the game against the San Francisco 49ers at Levi’s Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Cary Edmondson-USA TODAY Sports

Kingsbury teaching Malachi Nelson how to play QB now becomes a much bigger deal for USC. This has to lead to Nelson’s accelerated development.

CALEB WILLIAMS

Apr 15, 2023; Los Angeles, CA, USA; USC Trojans quarterback Malachi Nelson (8) and Caleb Williams (13) and head coach Lincoln Riley watch the game from the sideline during the Spring Game at Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum. Mandatory Credit: Kiyoshi Mio-USA TODAY Sports

Caleb Williams teaching Malachi Nelson takes on added importance for USC.

LINCOLN RILEY

Apr 15, 2023; Los Angeles, CA, USA; USC Trojans head coach Lincoln Riley talks to players at the conclusion of the Spring Game at Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum. Mandatory Credit: Kiyoshi Mio-USA TODAY Sports

It’s hard for Riley to view this recruitment as a stinging defeat when he already has a top-tier prospect waiting in the wings for 2024. If USC didn’t have Nelson, then it would be a much more alarming development to lose Raiola to Georgia or anyone else.

BEAR ALEXANDER

Jan 9, 2023; Inglewood, CA, USA; Georgia Bulldogs defensive lineman Bear Alexander (99) against the TCU Horned Frogs during the CFP national championship game at SoFi Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Mark J. Rebilas-USA TODAY Sports

USC got Bear Alexander from Georgia, so if today represented UGA striking back at USC, so be it. The Trojans got the big defensive piece they needed.

USC IS STILL QUARTERBACK U

Dec 10, 2022; New York, NY, USA; Southern California quarterback Caleb Williams (right) poses for photos with his head coach Lincoln Riley during a press conference in the Astor Ballroom at the New York Marriott Marquis in New York, NY, after winning the 2022 Heisman Trophy. Mandatory Credit: Brad Penner-USA TODAY Sports

Caleb Williams will make sure USC gets the next big quarterback for 2025 or 2026. The Trojans are going to be fine as long as Lincoln Riley is on the job.

Story originally appeared on Trojans Wire