National Signing Day has finally arrived. Many programs are signing players who have been committed and remain committed will lead much of the recruiting news today. However, in the NIL era, commitment flips can be more interesting than signings that are 'as expected'.
With twelve open coaching jobs at the year's peak, there were plenty of recruits expected to flip their commitments based on coaching movement alone. The following is a list of players who have flipped their commitments. Leading with coaches who have been hired at new programs. Followed by Power 4 programs in conference order. Finally, a short list that includes players who have opted to delay their signing beyond December 3rd.
All recruitment flips included were reported by Rivals. If a team is not listed, it is because no noteworthy source had reported that team flipping a recruit as of the time of publication.
James Franklin – Virginia Tech
4-star LB Terry Wiggins flipped from Penn State to Virginia Tech
4-star EDGE Tyson Harley flipped from Penn State to Virginia Tech
3-star CB Amarui Polydor flipped from Penn State to Virginia Tech
3-star TE John-Patrick Oates flipped from James Madison to Virginia Tech
4-star WR Davion “Fat Rat” Brown flipped from Penn State to Virginia Tech
3-star IOL Benjamin Eziuka flipped from Penn State to Virginia Tech
Lane Kiffin – LSU
4-star WR Corey Barber flipped from Ole Miss to LSU
4-star WR Brayden Allen flipped from Oklahoma to LSU
4-star TE JC Anderson flipped from Ole Miss to LSU
3-star IOL Ryan Miret flipped from Ole Miss to LSU
Alex Golesh – Auburn
4-star DL Corey Wells flipped from Texas to Auburn
3-star DL Tavian Branch flipped from Penn State to Auburn
3-star QB Rhyus Brush flipped from USF to Auburn
3-star WR DeShawn Spencer flipped from Duke to Auburn
Pete Golding – Ole Miss
3-star WR Kervin Johnson Jr flipped from LSU to Ole Miss
Tavita Pritchard – Stanford
4-star ATH Dre Pollard flipped from Washington to Stanford
Penn State (who hasn’t hired a new head coach yet)
4-star QB Peyton Falzone flipped from Auburn to Penn State
While the new coaching hires have dominated the news cycle, they are not the only story in college football. The following list of names are all commitment flips that did not include new head coaches. In some cases, the teams' players flipped to could have new coaching hires as part of the decision process. Again, if a team is not included here or in the new coaching hire section, such a flip has not been reported at the time of publication.
Atlantic Coast Conference
Miami
4-star LB Karsten Busch flipped from Louisville to Miami
Florida State
3-star EDGE Jaemin Pinckney flipped from USF to Florida State
3-star OT Nikau Hepi flipped from Auburn to Florida State
3-star IOL Steven Pickard flipped from Syracuse to Florida State
North Carolina
4-star DL Vodney Cleveland flipped from Texas to North Carolina
3-star IOL Da’Ron Parks flipped from Florida State to North Carolina
Stanford
4-star ATH Dre Pollard flipped from Washington to Stanford
Big 12 Conference
Houston
3-star OL Noah Abebe flipped from Tulane to Houston
Arizona State
4-star OT Jarmaine Mitchell flipped from Georgia to Arizona State
Kansas State
3-star S Kaprice Keith flipped from Iowa State to Kansas State
West Virginia
4-star S Matt Sieg flipped from Penn State to West Virginia
Big Ten Conference
Ohio State
3-star S Kaden Bebhardt flipped from Clemson to Ohio State
USC
4-star WR Kayden Dixon-Wyatt flipped from Ohio State to USC
Michigan
3-star IOL Adrian Hamilton flipped from Virginia Tech to Michigan
Washington
4-star WR Jordan Clay flipped from Baylor to Washington
4-star WR Trez Davis flipped from Tulane to Washington
Illinois
4-star OL Micah Smith flipped from UCLA to Illinois
3-star RB Javari Barnett flipped from Alabama to Illinois
Purdue
4-star S Jett Goldsberry flipped from Ole Miss to Purdue
Southeastern Conference
Georgia
4-star IOL Tyreek Jemison flipped from Kentucky to Georgia
Texas
4-star S Toray Davis flipped from UCLA to Texas
Vanderbilt
5-star QB Jared Curtis flipped from Georgia to Vanderbilt
3-star WR Own Cabell flipped from Alabama to Vanderbilt
Tennessee
4-star DL Carter Gooden flipped from UCLA to Tennessee
Mississippi State
4-star EDGE Micah Nickerson flipped from Missouri to Mississippi State
3-star DL Tico Crittendon flipped from Florida State to Mississippi State
In addition to the excitement of players officially signing with teams, is the added (temporary) fan frustration that comes with the inevitable 'delay in signing'. This occurs almost every year. Some delays lead to recruitment flips and some don't.
Top recruits who have chosen to delay their signing:
BYU commit 5-star QB Ryder Lyons will delay his signing
Auburn 5-star WR Jase Matthews will delay his signing (Ole Miss/LSU late push)
Ohio State commit 4-star ATH Legend Bey will delay his signing
Michigan commit 4-star WR Zion Robinson will delay his signing
LSU 5 stars commits Richard Anderson and Lamar Brown are delaying their signing’
Colorado commit 4-star ATH Alexander Ward will reclassify to 2026 and sign
Syracuse commit WR Calvin Russell will delay his signing