The Clemson Insider recently caught up with a talented gunslinger in the class of 2024, who’s been in contact with the staff and also keeping tabs on Clemson this season.
Burleson’s (TX.) four-star quarterback Dylan Raiola was able to catch bits and pieces of Clemson’s 30-24 win over Louisville on Saturday, Nov. 6.
“I got to catch some glimpses of,” Raiola said of Clemson’s second road win of the season. “It’s just really awesome to just see just the passion Coach Swinney coaches with and the passion his players play with. Their season isn’t going as everyone thinks it would go, but they’re a resilient bunch and you can tell that the culture has been built there and established. When you go to Clemson, you know what it takes and you’re held to the standard, which is awesome to just see.”
As mentioned before, Raiola has been keeping in consistent contact with Clemson quarterbacks coach Brandon Streeter. They talk with each other every other week.
“It’s been great to just keep building that relationship,” he said. “I’m excited to see what happens in the near future. I think [our relationship] is special. When we get on the phone, we hardly talk about football. We talk about family, school and just how to be a better person in general. I have a lot of respect for Coach Streeter in doing that.
“We need better men and better people like coaches trying to recruit people that they act a certain way. If you act a certain way and Clemson happens to be the place, everything’s going to work out, not only for being at Clemson, just for the rest of your life.”
At the time of his conversation with TCI, Raiola hadn’t yet spoken with Streeter during that particular week, but he pulled back the curtain on what he’s been hearing from Clemson throughout the recruitment process.
“They’re gonna put their best foot forward and they’re gonna make their best effort and they’re gonna recruit the heck out of me,” Raiola added. “I’m just excited and blessed that a school like that thinks of me as highly as Clemson does. I’ll never take that for granted and it’s a blessing.”
Raiola comes across as very humble and that’s exactly what he is. He stays true to that persona and gratitude and gratefulness towards being a top-50 recruit in the country is noticeable over the phone.
He’s always willing to talk about his recruitment, but he’s not one to boast over his big offers. Even if he’d have every right to do so. The sophomore signal-caller has recently picked up offers from Texas A&M, Notre Dame and the University of Arizona, adding to an extensive list, which includes schools like Alabama, Georgia, Ohio State and Texas.
“It means a lot,” he said. “It’s definitely something I’m proud of. I don’t really talk to people too much outside of my family and my teammates about it, just because we’re in the playoffs now and I don’t want it to be anything about me. I want it to be all about my team. They’ve put the work in.”
That’s humble.
While he doesn’t have a Clemson offer just yet, he’s working his way towards one. Raiola has spoken with Streeter about making it up to Tiger Town, but as of now, that seems more feasible after the season and likely during the spring.
“We’ll for sure get back up there again and I look forward to it,” Raiola said.
He ranks as the No. 3 quarterback and No. 45 overall prospect in the 2024 recruiting class, per 247Sports.
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