Ask Farrell: Will any of the four committed 2020 five-stars flip?
NEW 2020 RANKINGS: Mind of Mike | New five-stars | Biggest decisions in Rivals250 | Breaking down the top 10
There are now four committed five-star prospects in the new set of rankings, which seems like a low number at this juncture in the recruiting cycle, although it’s still early with the 2019 late signing day just in the rearview mirror.
Cornerback Elias Ricks from Santa Ana (Calif.) Mater Dei has already made his commitment to LSU. Cincinnati (Ohio) St. Xavier offensive tackle Paris Johnson, Jr., has pledged to Ohio State. Baltimore (Md.) St. Frances defensive end Chris Braswell picked Alabama, and Norcross (Ga.) Greater Atlanta Christian’s Myles Hinton recently committed to Stanford.
Ricks said he’s going to take all of his visits with LSU, Ohio State, USC and Alabama definitely receiving trips. Johnson remains committed to the Buckeyes, but is closely watching how the transition from coach Urban Meyer to Ryan Day plays out.
Braswell said he remains committed to Alabama, and is “a man of my word” despite recruiter Mike Locksley’s move to become the Maryland head coach. There’s no doubt the Terrapins and others will continue to recruit the five-star defensive end. And Hinton just committed to Stanford in early January, but his brother, Chris, signed with Michigan in the 2019 recruiting class, and he’s in the heart of SEC country. It might not be easy for the Cardinal.
ASK FARRELL ...
We ask Rivals.com National Recruiting Director Mike Farrell: Of the five-stars who are already committed, does he see any of them flipping to another school, as history would suggest, or will all four of them stay locked in with their early decisions?
“It’s so early for these commitments, it’s hard to say they are all solid, but right now - barring something crazy - I think Ricks and Johnson Jr. are solid as can be. As for Braswell, I can see a few other teams making a strong push, especially Maryland with Locksley, in charge and it might be tough for Hinton to resist the temptation of playing with his brother at Michigan. One thing I do know, one of these four is likely to de-commit, based on recent history of early commits by five-stars.”