Top prospect Dylan Raiola in process of transferring from Chandler to Pinnacle

Chandler quarterback Dylan Raiola, the No. 1 2024 football prospect in the country, is in the process of transferring to Phoenix Pinnacle, his father Dominic said Monday.

His younger brother Dayton, also a quarterback in the 2026 class, who played on the Chandler JV team last season, also would make the move.

It was reported on social media Saturday by Eric Sorenson of Sports360AZ, "Hearing from multiple sources 2024 5-star quarterback Dylan Raiola is expected to transfer to Pinnacle."

Coach Rick Garretson texted The Republic on Saturday that, "As of today Dylan is still enrolled at Chandler High School."

But on Sunday, Garretson tweeted, "Moving forward with those that trust the process and embrace the challenge."

The Raiolas, apparently, aren't the only players leaving Chandler's vaunted program, which won five state championships in a row between Shaun Aguano (now an assistant coach at Arizona State) and Garretson (the first two years of the Open Division).

A source told The Republic that as many as 20 players have left Chandler's football program.

With the close proximaty to Chandler High, Arizona College Prep football coach Myron Blueford, when asked if any Chandler players had transferred to his school, he said there were eight. They are either freshmen or sophomores and hadn't played varsity.

Garretson told The Republic in a text Monday afternoon that three varsity football players have left Chandler. He also confirmed that Steve Vaught will not be returning as the team's defensive coordinator for next season.

Dominic Raiola didn't want to comment about the move right now, focusing on trying to fast track a hardship so that Dylan won't lose any eligibility at Pinnacle.

Arizona Interscholastic Association transfer bylaw makes first-time AIA transfers ineligible the first five games of the football season, before becoming eligible the rest of the season. Dayton Raiola will be eligible immediately to play JV at Pinnacle next season, because of a clause being put into the transfer rule that would allow for underclassmen to play as long as it is not varsity.

Pinnacle reached the 6A championship game last season, behind sophomore quarterback Wyatt Horton.

Raiola came to Chandler last year after transferring from Burleson, Texas, and shot up to the No. 1 overall prospect in the coutnry by On3.com and other recruiting services. He committed to Ohio State before his junior season, but after the season ended, he decommitted from the Buckeyes, re-opening his recruitment.

Two-time national champion Georgia has been in hot pursuit of Raiola, along with USC and Nebraska, Dominic's alma mater where he was the Rimington Award winner for the college football's top center.

After passing for 3,341 yards and 42 touchdowns his sophomore year in Texas, Raiola, 6-foot-3, 220 pounds, threw for 2,435 yards and 22 TDs in a season that ended in the Open Division semifinals, a 13-0 loss to eventual state champion Chandler Basha.

The Raiolas were in Los Angeles over the weekend, visiting USC, and working with a personal quarterback coach.

To suggest human-interest story ideas and other news, reach Obert atrichard.obert@arizonarepublic.com or 602-316-8827. Follow him on Twitter@azc_obert