Throughout the last decade there have been a lot of two-team battles for elite prospects. Here is a look at the top 10.
MORE ALL-DECADE: Top QB | Top RB | Top WR/TE | Top OL | Top DT | Top DE | Top LB | Top DB | Biggest flips | Polarizing prospects | Programs trending up, down | Biggest busts | Ranking the No. 1s | Crazy recruiting storylines in 2010
BYRON COWART, 2015
On National Signing Day, Cowart picked Auburn over Florida but the recruitment was close throughout and even after he picked the Tigers, there was significant drama. According to numerous reports, Cowart’s high school coach was supposed to send the paperwork to Auburn but it didn’t show for a while. And then more time passed as rumors swirled. Auburn finally received the paperwork and Cowart said that one of the biggest reasons he picked the Tigers was because Will Muschamp was the defensive coordinator there at the time. Maryland and Alabama also played a role in his recruitment.
MATT ELAM, 2010
The recruitment of Matt Elam is one for the books. The five-star defensive back had been committed to Florida but he backed off that pledge when Urban Meyer announced he was stepping down as Florida’s coach. When Meyer quickly announced he had decided to come back and not leave the Gators, Elam was torn and backed off his pledge to Florida.
Shortly after that he committed to Florida State. But after Elam had a phone conversation where Meyer pleaded with Elam to rejoin the class and talked about having faith in him, Elam decommitted from Florida State. It was a Florida/Florida State battle with Georgia also sprinkled in there and Meyer eventually won out, landing Elam as a star recruit in the 2010 class.
LEONARD FOURNETTE, 2014
At the Under Armour All-America Game, Fournette picked LSU over Alabama and Texas was also under consideration and picked up some steam late in his recruitment process, but the Longhorns were always a long shot. The Crimson Tide definitely worked hard to land Fournette to further their bona fides in getting into Louisiana for top recruits. However, LSU always felt like the school for Fournette and he told reporters at the UA game that he wanted to be “different” - that everybody was going to Alabama and he wanted to stake his own claim at LSU.
JAKE FROMM, 2017
Fromm committed to Alabama during his junior season and he had an outstanding relationship with coach Nick Saban - but also with then-defensive coordinator Kirby Smart. He also made his pledge to the Crimson Tide before Georgia offered him as the Bulldogs then-coach Mark Richt favored Bailey Hockman over Fromm, according to reports.
When Smart landed the Georgia job one of his first recruiting calls was to Fromm and since Georgia was his dream school, the steps were taken for him to decommit from Alabama and commit to the Bulldogs.
RASHAN GARY, 2016
Michigan was considered the team to beat for Gary, the top-ranked prospect in the 2016 recruiting class, but a late visit to Clemson had the Tigers surging up to decision day. The five-star defensive tackle was so torn between the two programs that according to Rivals National Recruiting Director Mike Farrell, Gary still had not made up his mind completely on the drive to the SportsCenter set to announce his pledge. Clemson really made Gary think about things but in the end, Gary picked the Wolverines and it was a huge recruiting coup for coach Jim Harbaugh.
DA'SHAWN HAND, 2014
Michigan was considered the frontrunner for Hand even leading up to National Signing Day, but Hand picked Alabama over the Wolverines along with Florida hanging around in what was a surprise commitment. The top-rated prospect in the 2014 class, Hand had the Wolverines out front for a while in his recruitment but a visit in the fall to Alabama - along with getting to visit with the engineering school dean - put the Crimson Tide over the top. Virginia Tech was the early leader in his recruitment but the Hokies slipped as he went through the process.
WALKER LITTLE, 2017
Little had narrowed his extensive choices to Stanford and Texas but leading up to his decision it would have been a surprise if he did not pick the Cardinal. New Texas coach Tom Herman tried his best and had an important in-home visit with Little leading up to his decision, but Stanford held the edge and would not relinquish it. The five-star offensive tackle loved the Cardinal’s pro-style offense and how he would be used in the running attack. Texas offered a lot but Stanford always seemed like the team to beat.
A'SHAWN ROBINSON, 2013
Robinson was not only a flip but the five-star defensive lineman also felt that Texas leaked his new commitment and he was not too happy about it. A longtime Texas commitment, the Fort Worth (Texas) Arlington Heights standout backed off that pledge - which was not a total shock - and he was set to announce for Alabama. But word got out that the Crimson Tide was going to land his pledge and Robinson felt that Texas leaked that information since he was no longer going to play for the Longhorns. That further solidified his pledge to Alabama.
DE'ANTHONY THOMAS, 2011
Thomas was a long-time USC commitment and it made perfect sense since he was a star at Los Angeles Crenshaw, was known all around the city and adopted the same nickname - Black Mamba - as former Lakers star Kobe Bryant. By every measure, Thomas was destined to play at USC and be the next big thing in Los Angeles. That is until Thomas took a late visit to Oregon and fell in love with getting away from the city, playing for Chip Kelly and doing something special on his own.
He ended up picking Oregon during a signing day press conference that started late because Thomas seemed to be agonizing about his decision and it was an emotional night when he picked the Ducks over the Trojans.
XAVIER THOMAS, 2018
There was a lot of hope for South Carolina in Thomas’ recruitment since he grew up a fan of the Gamecocks and had taken multiple trips to Columbia through the spring, but at Clemson’s spring game, he committed to the Tigers. Expected to wait until deep into his senior season at Bradenton (Fla.) IMG Academy after playing at Florence, S.C., the five-star defensive end decided to get his decision out of the way as he picked Clemson over South Carolina and many others.
