How Todd Monken departure impacts Georgia’s chances with Dylan Raiola

Georgia should still like its chances of landing five-star quarterback Dylan Raiola, even after losing Todd Monken to the NFL.

Todd Monken may be returning to the NFL, but Georgia is still in a great position to land 2024 five-star quarterback Dylan Raiola.

Monken has been hired as the new offensive coordinator of the Baltimore Ravens. Georgia had prepared for this by quickly promoting Mike Bobo from within to be the new UGA offensive coordinator, a post he thrived in during the better part of the Mark Richt era in Athens. Although Monken’s departure could throw a wrench in Raiola’s leanings, he does still like the Dawgs.

I mean, check out what he said about the potential coordinator change himself. Relax, people…

"“You know, Coach Monken and Coach Smart have been transparent with all these interviews going on. I’m happy for Coach Monken that he is able to go interview with NFL (teams). He’s earned that, he deserves it. He won two, back-to-back nattys. I wouldn’t say it changes things, but it will definitely be something to look at. I know Coach Smart has the next guy if Coach Monken were to move on. He has his next guy in the system ready to step in and fill those shoes right away.”"

Raiola is the No. 1 overall prospect in the 2024 recruiting cycle. The Phoenix native initially had been committed to Ohio State before reopening his recruitment. Georgia is very much in the mix for him along with Oregon, USC and his father’s alma mater of Nebraska. Dominic Raiola is a Nebraska football legend. His No. 54 jersey is retired. He played 14 seasons with the Detroit Lions.

Let’s briefly discuss Raiola’s comments about the coordinator change that just happened at UGA.

Dylan Raiola touches on Georgia’s impending offensive coordinator change

The two big takeaways from Raiola’s comments late last month on the impending coordinator change at Georgia are as follows. One, he appreciates the transparency put forth by Monken and the rest of Kirby Smart’s staff. That will go a long way for a top prospect to go across the country to go play for you. And two, he seemed to have some knowledge of who would replace Monken.

We cannot really prove the latter, but you better believe Smart’s transparency over this and a potential succession plan would go over well with the Raiolas. USC and Oregon may be closer to him, but Nebraska is the one to watch out for. If Matt Rhule can paint a vivid picture for what he wants Cornhuskers football to look like, then Raiola may fly across the country like his dad did.

Yes, Georgia does not have the best track record when it comes to five-star quarterbacks. However, the Dawgs did win back-to-back national titles with a former walk-on. But beyond that, keep in mind who the two quarterbacks are most closely related to Bobo’s run as a coordinator at Georgia: Matthew Stafford and Aaron Murray. A former No. 1 overall pick and an SEC record holder.

Above all else, Georgia routinely moved the sticks through the air when Bobo was calling the plays.

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