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Five-star quarterback prospect Dylan Raiola is set to visit the Nebraska Cornhuskers this weekend despite being committed to the Georgia Bulldogs for nearly seven months.

With the early signing period set to start in a week, a flip at this point would be a big change at the top of the 2024 ESPN 300.

Raiola, the No. 8 overall prospect in the class and the top-ranked pocket-passer, has been committed to Georgia, which has the top-ranked recruiting class, since May and was previously committed to the Ohio State Buckeyes. But, the 6-foot-3, 220-pound prospect has family ties to Nebraska, where his father, Dominic, was a star offensive lineman.

The commitment would be huge for coach Matt Rhule and the Huskers and kick-start what could be a flip-filled week before the signing period. ESPN’s college football and recruiting experts look at what the move could mean.

What makes Raiola such a high-ranked recruit?

The quarterback draws similarities to former ESPN 300 signal-caller Andrew Luck in that Raiola grew up in the sport, has a big pocket passer build with excellent arm talent, but is also mobile for his size. Between his father, former Nebraska standout and longtime NFL offensive lineman Dominic Raiola, and his uncle Donovan, who is currently the offensive line coach at Nebraska, Dylan has grown up around the Huskers. His coach at Buford High School (Georgia) called Raiola a “student of the game” who always had his notebook from meetings with him and would regularly come up to the school on Sundays to sit with the coaches as they prepared for the coming opponent.

During in-person evaluations the past two seasons, he has displayed the arm strength to make all the throws while being able to change ball speeds, and he throws a catchable ball. He has also displayed an even-keeled demeanor, even when offensive execution wasn’t always operating as desired.

At 6-foot-4, he can stand in the pocket and deliver but also move around when he needs to. He possesses very good body control and that, combined with his size, allows him to break free of pass-rushers and able to get outside the pocket and extend plays.

He has played for four different high schools and this would be his third different commitment. That amount of movement could raise concerns, and only time will tell if he can settle into one spot for an extended period.

Physically, Raiola has excellent traits. He would give the Cornhuskers their most impactful quarterback signing in the ESPN 300 era. — Craig Haubert


What would this mean for Nebraska?

Raiola would be the highest-ranked commitment for Nebraska since ESPN started its rankings in 2006, so that in itself is a big deal. Matt Rhule saw what the Nebraska quarterback room looked like this season and knew he needed to restock it with talent.

If Kyle McCord transfers in from Ohio State and Raiola signs with the Huskers, Rhule has two great options at the position for the 2024 season. It would be ideal to allow McCord to start and play out his remaining year of eligibility and let Raiola learn the system before taking over.

Outside of the quarterback depth, more importantly, it shows that Rhule can recruit. Yes, there are family ties to Nebraska, but that wasn’t enough to get him to commit the first time when he chose Ohio State and then Georgia.

Recruiting against Georgia is difficult no matter who it is, and Rhule didn’t give up on Raiola. Getting a high-profile flip like this will help on the field, but it could also help on the trail by getting other prospects interested. Quarterbacks can often help attract other recruits, especially receivers and running backs.

If Nebraska indeed signs him, it can build off of the momentum of landing Raiola. This could possibly be a monster win for the future of the Nebraska roster. — Tom VanHaaren


What would this mean for Georgia?

There’s no question that losing a five-star quarterback, especially this late in the game, will sting the Bulldogs. Georgia coach Kirby Smart doesn’t lose too many recruiting battles, but it’s the second time in as many years that he and his staff invested a lot of time and resources in courting a highly regarded passer, only to lose out in the end. Georgia’s loss of eventual Texas signee Arch Manning probably didn’t hurt quite as much because he was never committed, but both would have been big-time additions to the program.

As long as starting quarterback Carson Beck returns to the team for 2024, Georgia is going to be just fine on offense. Beck was one of the most efficient and effective passers in FBS in his first season as a starter, throwing for 3,738 yards with 22 touchdowns and six interceptions. He nearly led the two-time defending national champions back to the College Football Playoff, but the Bulldogs lost to Alabama 27-24 in the SEC championship and fell out of the top four.

Beck’s backup this past season, former four-star recruit Brock Vandagriff, is transferring to Kentucky. Redshirt freshman Gunner Stockton, who attempted nine passes in 2023, will probably go into next season as the No. 2 quarterback. He was the No. 4 dual-threat quarterback prospect in the Class of 2022. He set Georgia high school state records with 13,562 passing yards, 177 passing touchdowns and 77 rushing scores at Rabun County High.

The Bulldogs also have a commitment from Ryan Puglisi, the No. 7 pocket passer in the 2024 ESPN 300. A 6-foot-3, 205-pound native of Avon, Connecticut, Puglisi has been committed to the Bulldogs since October 2022. The former Elite 11 competitor had scholarship offers from Alabama, Michigan, Ohio State and others before choosing Georgia. — Mark Schlabach


Are there other potential QB dominoes after this?

Nebraska has a commitment from three-star in-state quarterback Daniel Kaelin. The Huskers’ coaches said they would still honor Kaelin’s commitment and Kaelin has not said what his plans are.

He could open up his recruitment, but it wouldn’t be a major factor in the quarterback market.

On Georgia’s end, it’s late in the process to try to fill his spot with a highly touted quarterback, unless the staff wanted to flip someone themselves. As noted, the Bulldogs have a QB committed in this class and signed another in the 2022 class.

If Beck does leave, it puts the coaches in a situation where they might want to add more depth through the portal or recruiting, but it’s not a dire situation and Raiola’s move doesn’t seem likely to make a shockwave in quarterback recruiting. — VanHaaren

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Jets’ Scheifele misses G7 because of injury

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Jets' Scheifele misses G7 because of injury

Winnipeg forward Mark Scheifele did not play in Game 7 of the Jets’ first-round Stanley Cup playoff series against the St. Louis Blues on Sunday due to an undisclosed injury, coach Scott Arniel said.

Arniel ruled out Scheifele following the team’s morning skate. He was hurt in Game 5 — playing only 8:05 in the first period before exiting — and then did not travel with the Jets to St. Louis for Game 6. Arniel previously had said Scheifele was a game-time decision for Game 7.

Scheifele, 32, skated in a track suit Saturday, and Arniel told reporters the veteran was feeling better than he had the day before. Scheifele, however, was not able to participate in the Jets’ on-ice session by Sunday, quickly indicating he would not be available for the game.

Winnipeg held a 2-0 lead in the series over St. Louis before the Blues stormed back with a pair of wins to tie it, 2-2. The home team has won each game in the best-of-seven series so far.

The Jets’ challenge in closing out St. Louis only increases without Scheifele. Winnipeg already has been dealing with the uneven play of goaltender Connor Hellebuyck, a significant storyline in the series to date. Hellebuyck was pulled in all three of his starts at St. Louis while giving up a combined 16 goals on 66 shots (.758 SV%). In Game 6, Hellebuyck allowed four goals in only 5 minutes, 23 seconds of the second period.

Hellebuyck was Winnipeg’s backbone during the regular season, earning a Hart Trophy and Vezina Trophy nomination for his impeccable year (.925 SV%, 2.00 GAA).

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Stars expect Robertson, Heiskanen back in semis

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Stars expect Robertson, Heiskanen back in semis

Stars coach Pete DeBoer expects to have leading goal scorer Jason Robertson and standout defenseman Miro Heiskanen available in the Western Conference semifinals after both missed Dallas’ first-round series win over the Colorado Avalanche.

Following their thrilling Game 7 comeback victory over the Avalanche on Saturday night, the Stars await the winner of Sunday night’s Game 7 between the Winnipeg Jets and St. Louis Blues. If the Blues win, the Stars will have home-ice advantage in the best-of-seven series.

“I believe you’re going to see them both play in the second round, but I don’t know if it’s going to be Game 1 or Game 3 or Game 5,” DeBoer said after Saturday’s series clincher. “I consider them both day-to-day now, but there’s still some hurdles. It depends on when we start the series, how much time we have between now and Game 1. We’ll have a little better idea as we get closer.”

Robertson, 25, who posted 80 points (35 goals, 45 assists) in 82 games this season, suffered a lower-body injury in the regular-season finale April 16 and was considered week-to-week at the time.

Heiskanen hasn’t played since injuring his left knee in a Jan. 28 collision with Vegas Golden Knights forward Mark Stone. Initially expected to miss three to four months, the 25-year-old defenseman had surgery Feb. 4 and sat out the final 32 games of the regular season. In 50 games, he collected 25 points (five goals, 20 assists) and averaged 25:10 of ice time, which ranked fifth among NHL blueliners.

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Red Sox 1B Casas out for year after knee surgery

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Red Sox 1B Casas out for year after knee surgery

BOSTON — Boston Red Sox first baseman Triston Casas suffered a ruptured tendon in his left knee and is out for the remainder of the season, the team said.

The 25-year-old Casas ruptured his patellar tendon running to first on a slow roller up the line and fell awkwardly in Boston’s victory over the Minnesota Twins on Friday night. After laying on his back in pain — not moving the knee — he was carted off on a stretcher before being taken to a Boston hospital.

The team announced Sunday that he had surgery for a left patellar tendon repair at Massachusetts General Hospital. The surgery was performed by Dr. Eric Berkson.

“I talked to him last night,” chief baseball officer Craig Breslow said in a news conference on Saturday discussing the injury outside Boston’s clubhouse. “We exchanged text messages [Saturday]. We all care deeply about just his overall wellbeing.”

Manager Alex Cora said Casas worked hard during the offseason to play every day after missing a large amount of last year with torn cartilage in his rib cage.

“He did an outstanding job in the offseason to put himself in that situation. It didn’t start the way he wanted it to,” Cora said of Casas’ struggles. “He was going to play and play a lot. Now we’ve got to focus on the rehab after the surgery and hopefully get him back stronger than ever and ready to go next year.”

Casas batted just .182 with three homers and 11 RBIs, but Breslow said his loss will be felt, especially with the team’s lack of depth at the position.

“He certainly struggled through the first month of the season but that didn’t change what we believe his production was capable of being,” Breslow said. “It’s a big loss. In addition to what we think we were going to get on the offensive side, he was kind of like a stabilizing presence on the defensive side of the field — also a big personality and a big part of the clubhouse.”

During spring training, Casas talked about how his focus at the plate this season was being more relaxed.

“You really want it until you don’t,” he said, explaining his thoughts while standing at his locker. “Then you can’t want it that much.”

Now, he’ll have to focus on his recovery plan for next season.

Casas, a left-handed batter, was placed on the 10-day injured list Saturday with infielder/outfielder Abraham Toro selected from Triple-A Worcester.

Cora said Toro — a switch-hitter — will split time at first along with Romy Gonzalez. who bats right-handed.

Breslow said the team might be exploring a long-term replacement.

“This is unfortunately an opportunity to explore what’s available,” he said. “We’ll look both internally and outside as well.”

Cora said there are no plans to move Rafael Devers, who was replaced at third by offseason free-agent acquisition Alex Bregman and moved to DH.

“We asked him to do something in spring training that in the beginning he didn’t agree with it and now he’s very comfortable doing what he’s doing,” Cora said. “Like I told you guys in spring training, he’s my DH.”

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