I’ve been covering recruiting for 26 years and counting. I’ve ranked programs, players, and covered massive recruiting news forever. I could give you hundreds of examples, but there’s no need. You’re gonna have to trust me. 5 star Dylan Raiola flipping from Georgia to Nebraska is one of the biggest recruiting moments I’ve covered.
Why? It’s kind of a perfect storm. First off, Raiola is the highest-ranked player to commit to Nebraska since I’ve been doing this. OT Baker Steinkuhler was a top 10 prospect back in 2008, and RB Marlon Lucky was top 15 in 2005, but neither was as highly regarded nationally as Raiola, and neither obviously played QB. For the first time ever, Nebraska has landed a 5-star QB, which in and of itself is a big deal. Add in the legacy factor with his dad and uncle and Matt Rhule needing a massive recruiting win after a rough (but expected) first season, and you have a nice mix of buzz. But here’s the kicker — the Nebraska fan base is, by far, hands down the No. 1 most rabid fan base in college football, and a recruiting win like this allows them to win the off-season and makes up for the close losses of the past season. Close losses, I’ll add, mainly due to poor QB play.