Donovan Raiola is not the type of person who makes the obvious, easy decision. The junior center at Wisconsin could have opted for a pampered, carefree life at Nebraska, where his brother was an All-American at the same position from 1997-2000. The Cornhusker faithful would have welcomed the younger Raiola with open arms, but he decided to chart a course of his own at Wisconsin.
“He likes to do his own thing,” said his older brother, Dominic, now the starting center for the Detroit Lions. “He did that by going to Wisconsin by himself. He just kind of went out there.
“We don’t have any family out there, so he just did it on his own.”
At Wisconsin, Raiola anchors an offensive line that leads the conference with just five sacks allowed this season.
He also is a preseason candidate for the Dave Rimington Trophy, awarded to the nation’s best center.
“Our offensive line has had a tough job this season with all the different running backs we’ve had because of injuries,” Wisconsin defensive back Scott Starks said. “They have been stepping up every game and getting better every game.”
The line has opened up big holes for running back and dark-horse Heisman candidate Anthony Davis, who has rushed for 447 yards and five touchdowns in the last three games.
“We have that cohesiveness that needs to be there in a good offensive line,” Raiola said. “It also helps when you have a good running back that makes you look good.”
Raiola played guard for his high school in Honolulu, and said his brother helped him adjust to playing center in college.
“My brother helps me out a lot with the position in general,” he said. “He has more experience there than me. He helps me out on how to watch film and to look at defenses.”
Raiola also credits his brother for his success with recruiting.
Many Hawaiian high school athletes have a tough time getting noticed by college coaches because of the state’s distance from the continental United States.
Recruiters also pass on a Hawaiian athletes because there are fewer of them and the level of competition is perceived to be lower.
But Dominic Raiola already was a household name in recruiting circles, and people started lining up when they found out he had a brother.
“I think it helped schools to know that my brother was out there, and he was a pretty decent player at that time, so I think that helped me out a little bit,” Donovan Raiola said. “It gave some schools the confidence to come out there and take a look at me.”
So how does a native Hawaiian make the choice to leave sunny beaches and pineapples and go to a place known for the Frozen Tundra and cheese?
“Growing up watching college football, there were Wisconsin games on a lot, so I knew the background of the program,” Raiola said. “They were putting a lot of guys at the next level, and that’s something everybody wants to do: get drafted.”
Raiola didn’t have to worry about purchasing a new set of clothes before heading to the Midwest — he received his brother’s hand-me-downs from his day’s at Nebraska. But he did have to acclimate himself to an area of the country where football is the No. 1 sport.
“High school football in Hawaii has some interest,” he said. “I don’t think you can say it’s the biggest (sport) out there because surfing is big.”
Now that surfing and other sports have gone out of focus, Raiola is focused on his goal of playing in the NFL.
“He has a better head start on things than I did,” Dominic Raiola said. “I can definitely see him playing on Sundays one day.”
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