Shocking de-commitment gives USC chance to sign another No. 1 QB

No. 1 overall recruit in the class of 2024, five-star QB Dylan Raiola (all recruiting ratings and rankings in article are as of 247Sports) has de-committed from Ohio State University. This gives SC a shot to gain a commitment from the No. 1 QB in the country. This is perfect timing as SC missed out on No. 4 QB in the country, DJ Lagway, just a couple of weeks ago (University of Florida).

Raiola (who plays for Chandler High School in Chandler, AZ) is 6-3, 220 pounds, yet still "capable of tucking the ball to run if needed to gain chunk yardage," according to 247Sports National Recruiting Expert Chris Singletary. An astonishing athlete, Raiola also plays baseball. According to Singletary, Raiola has "good stature in the pocket with a smooth easy release."

"Raiola has above average mobility and is able to buy time while locating his receivers and going through progressions smoothly," said Singletary.

Seems like he's a Caleb Williams-type thrower with even more size. Of course, he'll have to prove A LOT on the college football field to prove that he can be mentioned in the same sentence as Williams when it comes to performance, but he's a tremendous prospect who has an even higer rating than Williams did in high school (1.000 to Williams' 0.9969).

Williams was the No. 1 Quarterback in the transfer portal when USC Football picked him up this offseason.

And Malachi Nelson, USC Football's five-star QB commit for 2023, is the No. 1 Quarterback in this recruiting cycle according to ESPN. Therefore, Raiola would be the third straight No. 1 QB in the nation that SC was able to pick up in three straight offseasons.

It's safe to say that Lincoln Riley is great at finding the best quarterbacks. Heck, he's had THREE Heisman Trophy winners in his six years as a head coach in the college game (Baker Mayfield, Kyler Murray, and Williams). If Raiola is all he's cracked up to be, he very well may be the fourth Heisman that Riley will coach.

"Flashes plus arm strength to make the throws from a variety of arm angles with velocity or touch as required," said Singletary. "Puts zip on passes even when on the move out of the pocket."

Again, this sounds a lot like the type of thrower that WIlliams is. And by the time Raiola gets to the Trojan program, he's going to be able to watch and learn from another four-star prospect in Miller Moss for one or two seasons, and No. 1 QB Nelson for another one or two seasons.

To be able to spend his younger years watching and learning from great talents at the QB position, along with learning under the top QB guru in college football (again, three Heismans in six years) is an amazing situation to be in. SC has a lot to offer Raiola when they recruit him.

SC currently has the No. 10 recruiting class in college football for 2024. Adding their first five-star of the cycle in Raiola would catapult SC up the rankings, despite already being in great standing. It would also make a statement; proving that SC will always sign top QB talent. They always have, and will most certainly continue if they can keep Raiola on the west coast.