What I Learned Watching: 5-star UGA Football QB Commit Dylan Raiola
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ATHENS - Kirby Smart and UGA football may be two weeks away from the 2023 season, but high school football is back. All the way back.
5-star QB commit Dylan Raiola played in his very first game as a Buford Wolf on Friday night, leading them to a big 18-0 victory over No. 6-ranked St. Frances (MD).
Raiola played well, going 14/26 (54%) for 184 yards and two touchdowns. He also had two passed dropped.
How did Raiola look?
Where did he impress?
Dawg Post takes a look...
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The elite arm talent was easy to notice. Raiola loves to launch the ball, and he threw it from different arm angles throughout the game. He wasn’t perfectly accurate, throwing some passes a little wide while others were slightly underthrown.
He certainly looks the part physically at 6-foot-3 230-pounds. He’s not a burner, but he did show some mobility when having to elude defenders. He moves well in the pocket while keeping his eyes down the field. However, he did get sacked at least four times on the night. He was able to shake the first defender multiple times, but the St. Frances pass-rush gave him and the Buford offensive line some trouble at times. For several plays, there was just nothing Raiola could do to avoid a sack.
Still, the 5-star showed poise in the pocket and the ability to play quarterback. He changed plays at the line of scrimmage, made sure his guys were on the same page, and played the position the right way. He took care of the football, not turning it over a single time against a very talented defense. He got the ball out quickly to his receivers, but also showed outstanding arm strength, pushing the ball downfield on multiple occasions.
He may not have lit up the stat sheet, but he did make some big throws in a tight ball-game. He hit UNC commit Tyshun White for a 20-yard touchdown in the first quarter. The “wow” throw came on his second score. Raiola side-armed a ball into a tight window to receiver KJ Bolden who completed the catch in the end-zone. It was an easy 5-star caliber throw.
The arm talent is elite. That was easy to notice. There was a good amount of pressure on him, but he still made some impressive throws while being chased. He was very good at times, but the accuracy could improve. He showed some quickness and elusiveness for someone 230+ pounds, but can he beat defenses with his legs? That’s something we’re still looking for.
Trevor Lawrence and Justin Fields are the two best quarterbacks I’ve covered over the last several years. Of course, they never played St. Frances. Can Raiola be as good as those two? We’ll continue to find out throughout this 2023 season.
Of course, this is just off four quarters of play. But he rose to the occasion on Friday night, and he’s likely bound for a monster 2023 season.
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