This weekend in Lincoln brought one of the most lively events in the history of the recruiting dead period.
No. 1 overall recruit Dylan Raiola, son of Husker Hall of Fame offensive lineman Dominic Raiola and nephew of Nebraska offensive line coach Donovan Raiola, joined his father and younger brother Dayton Raiola, who also has an offer from Nebraska, on a plane destined for Omaha. They flew into Nebraska on Friday night to visit family. NCAA rules allowed him to visit his uncle but no other Nebraska coaches. The Raiola family trip included a sold out basketball game.
#thegoodlife pic.twitter.com/AOSpTEjL1c
— Dylan Raiola (@RaiolaDylan) February 26, 2023
Nebraska head coach Matt Rhule and multiple members of his coaching staff were also in attendance at Pinnacle Bank Arena. Big Ten Network and arena cameras spotted Rhule. The arena took that time to advertise tickets for Nebraska’s Red-White Spring Game. Cameras also found Raiola sitting at court level. He urged the capacity crowd to their feet and threw the bones up to raucous applause.
☠️☠️☠️#GBR pic.twitter.com/g4Rxz7Aqco
— Hail Varsity (@HailVarsity) February 25, 2023
His visit in the dead period comes before a busy spring. He is planning spring visits to various schools. As of now, he’s scheduled to visit Georgia the week before his scheduled March 25 visit to Lincoln. USC is also still in the mix. Raiola took an official visit to Los Angeles last month, his only one since decommiting from Ohio State last year.
National recruiting analyst Hayes Fawcett teased a Raiola post for 7 p.m. tonight. Fawcett is popular for creating photoshopped announcements for recruits, ranging from offers lists and finalists to commitments.
Recruit Watch
While recruiting doesn’t get much bigger than the No. 1 overall recruit, there has been some movement regarding other recruits Nebraska is pursuing. And some of them get as close to No. 1 as possible.
No. 2 overall recruit in some databases, No. 4 in the consensus rankings, KJ Bolden tweeted to Nebraska Director of Player Personnel Omar Hales on Friday and tagged Raiola. He’s a 5-star athlete from Buford, Georgia, with snaps at receiver and defensive back. Bolden is also an impressive sprinter (10.76 in the 100, 22.78 in the 200) with exceptional explosiveness (42 feet, 3 inches in the triple jump). Nebraska isn’t among his dozens of offers but Bolden has expressed interest in playing with Raiola in college.
Aye @Omeezi_ what’s good with #24Ours 😎 @HuskerFBNation @RaiolaDylan
— Khalil “KJ”Bolden (@KhalilBolden2) February 24, 2023
Pennsylvania standout Kenneth Woseley Jr. announced Nebraska is one of his four finalist schools. The composite 4-star cornerback prospect from Philadelphia listed Nebraska alongside Penn State, Michigan and Rutgers. He’s a standout from Imhotep Institute, the same high school as 2023 signing Rahmir Stewart and the aforementioned Hales. Woseley will announce his commitment on Friday, March 3. Woseley’s Imhotep teammate Zafir Stewart, a 3-star offensive lineman, announced Nebraska is one of his three finalists along with Rutgers and Penn State.
Lancaster, Texas, composite 3-star running back Kewan Lacy included Nebraska in his list of top 12 schools. Lacy’s ran for over 2,000 yards and 24 touchdowns the last two season.
Nebraska also extended a scholarship offer to 2025 prospect Chauncey Gooden from Nashville. Gooden is a 6-foot-4 lineman who isn’t yet evaluated in the composite but 247Sports lists him as a 4-star recruit and in the overall top 100 for that recruiting class.
ICYMI
>> Volleyball Day in Nebraska is six months away. Tickets go on sale in two months. Relive the press conference, read about the reaction and know the impact the historic event has on greater Nebraska.
>> The Nebraska men’s basketball team put away Minnesota and boosted the team’s postseason hopes. Check out our photo gallery from the game and watch postgame interviews from coach Fred Hoiberg and players.
>> Hail Varsity published its final spring positional reset on Saturday with a look at punt and kick returners in 2023. That story includes links to our analysis at every other position.
