Nation's top recruit transfers to different state to avoid suspension

Georgia five-star quarterback commit Dylan Raiola is moving closer to where he's expected to play college football. On the surface, that seems like nothing noteworthy, maybe something to simply mention on a slow news day.

The reason for Raiola's decision to transfer from a high school in Arizona (Pinnacle High School (Arizona) to a high school in Georgia (Buford High School) is certainly worth mentioning, though.

Raiola, a 6-foot-3, 220 pound superstar quarterback recruit, had previously transferred from Chandler High School in Arizona to Pinnacle during his sophomore and junior seasons. 

There was the potential that heading into his senior season, he could face a five-game suspension because of the Arizona Interscholastic Association's transfer policy. Technically, Raiola should have sat during a portion of his junior season — which he didn't do at Pinnacle.

With a suspension for 2023 likely, Raiola and his family decided it made more sense to pack up early for UGA to let him play his final season of high school ball in Georgia, without the threat of suspension.

"After meeting with the head coach at Pinnacle High School, he was very confident that Dylan would have to sit games and Dylan didn't want to sit games," Dylan's father, former NFL lineman Dominic Raiola told ESPN. "He wanted to play right away. And I think for our family, where we are, it just made total sense. Let's get him in a program because you can say he is moving to another high school, this, that, and the other. But I think people would rather see Dylan play than sit. And so we're excited about it."

Buford is about an hour northwest of Athens, where Raiola is committed to play college ball for the Bulldogs. Raiola is the consensus No. 1 recruit in the 2024 class.