Skull Session: Dylan Raiola Named “Alpha Dog“ at Elite 11 Regional, E.J. Liddell Discusses Being Undersized, and Ryan Day Has Changed Buckeye Quarterback Position

Turns out, I don't overeat – I'm just on the "father of a five-star prospect" diet.

Average time between meals on an official visit is somewhere around three hours. Many parents and prospects in the 2023 class learned this past weekend to bring their appetites.
— Steve Wiltfong (@SWiltfong247) June 7, 2022

Word of the Day: Moil.

ALPHA DOG. As an underclassman, Dylan Raiola isn't even eligible for the Elite 11 Finals this year. But that didn't stop him from outperforming everyone else at his Elite 11 Regional Camp and claiming the "Alpha Dog" title, anyway.

Alpha Dog

Chandler (Ariz.) '24 Dylan Raiola- Underclassmen aren't eligible for the Elite 11 Finals but we thought Raiola had the best day. He was consistent throughout the camp and his best throws were the best throws in the event. For being as big as he is, and he looked all of 6-3, 230 pounds, Raiola is a plus athlete and makes throws off-platform and from outside the pocket look easy. He has a big arm but understands how to change speeds and threw with nice touch and timing. He threw a tight ball through windy conditions and was very accurate throughout. The Ohio State commit does a lot of his best work in a real game setting where he can show off his ability to extend plays and run over defenders but he showed he's a high level thrower as well.

I love that Ryan Day collects these dudes who are far-and-away the best passers in the country but also can do things like "run over defenders." Sounds like Raiola's got a little Justin Fields in him.

DON'T CALL HIM UNDERSIZED. There aren't many scenarios where a human that checks in at 6-foot-7, 244 lbs could possibly be considered "undersized," but apparently the NBA is one of them because it's all the Draft Knowers are talking about.

Liddell hears it, but he's relatively unconcerned.

"I hear I'm undersized every day. That's annoying," Liddell said. "I guess I'm undersized, but you see guys who are in the conference finals. P.J. Tucker, Grant Williams, Draymond Green, and I'm pretty sure they don't consider themselves undersized in their heads. Truthfully, when it comes to me, I'm a basketball player. I don't think I'm undersized, I go on the court and do what I'm asked to do. ... I'm stronger than most people and you can't teach heart, truthfully."

He's tall and explosive enough to average 2.6 blocks and be damn near automatic in that department as a chase-down defender.

Also, if Jae'Sean Tate can reliably play in the post at the NBA level at 6-foot-3, 230 pounds, I think Liddell is going to be just fine.

CHANGING THE GAME. We've become pretty numb to this sort of thing over the past few years, so this is probably going to hit you a lot more like a simple matter-of-fact than it is a mind-blowing stat, but I'm gonna give it to you anyway.

Since PFF began grading college quarterbacks in 2014, the three best quarterbacks in the Big Ten have all been coached by Ryan Day.

Best passer rating by a Big 10 QB in a season since 2014:

Justin Fields (2019) - 131.0
CJ Stroud (2021) - 130.8
Dwayne Haskins (2018) - 122.9 pic.twitter.com/qrzby9kvUg
— PFF College (@PFF_College) June 5, 2022

I don't think we fully appreciate just how quickly Ryan Day normalized Ohio State having arguably the best quarterback in the country every single year, because we aren't that far removed from Buckeye quarterbacks throwing like 10 passes a game and being deemed legendary.

TICKETS PUNCHED. It looks like the Buckeyes are going to be well represented at the US Open this year as current Buckeye Maxwell Moldovan and former Ohio State golfer Bo Hoag both qualified for next week's tournament.

TICKETS PUNCHED
Congrats to Maxwell Moldovan and Bo Hoag who both earned a spot in next week's US Open #GoBucks pic.twitter.com/wYrWyWh3Ny
— Ohio State Mens Golf (@OhioStateMGOLF) June 6, 2022

Moldovan is a sophomore in college, by the way. He's doing college decidedly differently than I did.

SONG OF THE DAY. "Dress" by Taylor Swift.