Recent Georgia quarterback commitment Dylan Raiola, the nation’s No. 1 ranked player in the class of 2024, is in Athens this weekend on a recruiting visit, accompanied by a group of elite prospects from around the nation.
While attending the annual scavenger hunt weekend at UGA, Raiola is utilizing his influence to attract other top talents to join him at Georgia.
Despite the absence of 5-star linebacker Sammy Brown (Jefferson, GA), who resides near Athens, Raiola took the initiative to organize a throwing session at Jefferson High School, featuring Brown and several other highly ranked recruits in town for the weekend.
Brown ranks as the nation’s No. 5 overall player in the class of 2024, per 247Sports.
Included in the throwing session was five-star wide receiver Ryan Williams, an Alabama commit in the class of 2025. Williams (Saraland, AL) is ranked as the top wide receiver and the third overall player in his class.
UGAsports.com’s Blayne Gilmer captured footage of the session, providing an exciting glimpse of the talent on display.
👀 y’all might want to head to the @ugasportscom Vault pic.twitter.com/Ipu6ydDNFS
— Blayne Gilmer (@BGilmer18) May 20, 2023
Georgia wide receiver commits Ny Carr and Sacovie White joined them as well.
DawgsHQ was also present, offering coverage of the event:
Five-star QB, No. 1 overall prospect #UGA commit Dylan Raiola wasting no time throwing to some MAJOR #UGA targets.https://t.co/FzaqAXvZl9 pic.twitter.com/KaGZ8msOQW
— DawgsHQ (@DawgsHQ) May 20, 2023
2024 5-star wide receiver Jeremiah Smith (Opa Locka, FL) is also in town this weekend. He’s the nation’s No. 2 ranked player and is currently committed to Ohio State.
Smith and Raiola were seen together on Instagram Live at UGA on Friday.
Dylan Raiola with Jeremiah Smith on his Official Visit #GoDawgs pic.twitter.com/UzGGeQaoVR
— Back2Back 704 Dawg ➐ (@FSFRecruits) May 20, 2023
And just so we’re all on the same page about the type of talent we’re talking about, Raiola (QB) is 2024’s No. 1 ranked player, Smith (WR) is 2024’s No. 2 ranked player and Williams (WR) is 2025’s No. 3 ranked player.
Smith is a 6-foot-3, 198 pound receiver who 247Sports calls “one of the most talented wide receiver prospects to come out of South Florida in the modern recruiting era.”
According to Steve Wiltfong, the director of recruiting at 247Sports, if any school has a chance to convince Smith to change his commitment, it would be Georgia.
With Raiola’s influential recruiting skills and Georgia’s recent success as a program, experts see the Bulldogs as a compelling option for top talents around America. Could we expect some more big news to follow this weekend?