Lincoln Riley is looking for his next Heisman Trophy contender with five-star quarterback Dylan Raiola set to visit USC.
Having Spencer Rattler didn’t stop Lincoln Riley from also grabbing Caleb Williams in Oklahoma. Now at USC, the fact that the quarterback guru has Malachi Nelson isn’t going to stop him from pursuing the next big QB rookie everyone’s looking for, Dylan Raiola.
Raiola was contracted to Ohio State before opening his recruiting in December. Since then, it’s been a whirlwind of teams trying to take the lead for the No. 1 player in the Class of 2024.
Riley had his chance with a visit from Raiola this weekend, par Adam Gorney de Rivals.
Lincoln Riley has his eyes on Dylan Raiola as a potential replacement for Caleb Williams.
Georgia and Nebraska have created the most waves in Raiola’s recruiting since he signed off from the Buckeyes. The dominance of Kirby Smart and the arrival of offensive guru Matt Rhule at Lincoln have made both programs attractive destinations for the QB.
However, Riley and USC have something few programs can offer: the Heisman’s pedigree.
Riley produced three Heisman Trophy winners – Baker Mayfield, Kyler Murray and Caleb Williams – while also preparing the NFL careers of almost every starting quarterback he coached, including Jalen Hurts.
Simply put, Riley’s quarterbacks are producing outsized numbers in college and are prepared for the pros.
USC has another leg up on some of the other contenders for Raiola. Los Angeles is much closer to Arizona than to Nebraska or Georgia.
The Trojans signed five-star quarterback Malachi Nelson in the Class of 2023, so Williams’ heir apparent is already on campus. However, the presence of Rattler, a five-star QB from the Class of 2019, hasn’t deterred the future Heisman winner from signing in 2021. The lure of playing for Riley might be strong enough to convince Raiola to make a similar gamble. on himself.
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