What We Learned About Dylan Raiola
I've seen Dylan Raiola throw a football before. I've seen Dylan Raiola stacked up against all of his peers in the 2024 QB class at the Elite 11 Finals in Los Angeles this summer. Though what I haven't seen Dylan Raiola do is play football, and well, playing football is a bit different than throwing footballs.
So, Friday night when Raiola was set to make his Friday Night Lights debut for Peach State Powerhouse in the Buford Wolves against a formidable opponent in Jones County, I felt it necessary to go learn more about Georgia's potentially next great quarterback — and boy did I learn.
The son of a 13-year NFL center in the form of Domonic Raiola, most would imagine Dylan would have a pretty strong football acumen. Though, it's not always a guarantee that just because you grew up around high-level football, you somehow are born with football knowledge. No, in fact, you have to study it yourself, it's not a skill or trait you can pass down.
Ever heard a quarterback on TV yell out "MIKE 56, MIKE 56!" That's called Mike Identifications. These Identifications are vital in the run game and pass protection areas of offensive football. It's essentially your way of telling the offensive line who they are working toward and who they are accounting for. This often times changes on every snap depending on not only what the defense is in, but the offensive play you are running.
It's a vital portion of advanced offense for young quarterbacks, one that takes time to be efficient at. Raiola has been at Buford for two months, he was handling all of the MIKE IDs on Friday night. This might sound like something simple and easy, and I'll remind the reader now that Patrick Mahomes — the player Raiola is most compared to — didn't know what MIKE IDs were until he was a rookie in the NFL when Andy Reid taught him.
QB Prospect Dylan Raiola
Additionally, I've seen a lot of great throwers of the football. Names like Caleb Williams, Spencer Rattler, Quinn Ewers, and Nico Iamaleava were all known as "special arm-talents" entering college, and I don't know if I've seen one that plays with this much touch. Most of the quarterbacks in this world with this much horsepower don't play with the amount of finesse that Raiola plays with. I once heard him say "I never want to throw a football 100%." His ball flight is effortless and it arrives catchable for the receiver.
Sure, he can make any throw on the field, but football is about finesse sometimes too, and Raiola has exactly that.
Other Georgia News:
- Recruiting Update: Who Could Be Next for Georgia?
- George Pickens Can Be a “Top Guy in the League,” According to Steelers QB
- Preseason All-SEC Teams Released
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