East Coast Spotlight: Five prospects on flip watch
There is always recruiting movement in the East region, even beyond the June and early July commitment bonanza, so let's check in on a handful of recruits we're keeping a close eye on as other programs look to flip their verbal commitments.
FLIP WATCH: Five Mid-South prospects | Southeast prospects | Midwest prospects
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West Virginia’s coaching staff enters the season on the hot seat so this recruiting class could end up getting picked apart if the season does not go well for the Mountaineers. Cross had multiple suitors heading into June, including Michigan State, Kentucky and Syracuse. West Virginia won out thanks to its early efforts with him and he shut down his recruitment before finishing his official visit schedule.
Nothing is imminent with Cross and he seems very happy with his commitment for now. But, if coaching changes were to occur in Morgantown, Cross could be a candidate to see an uptick in interest from other programs.
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Dixon committed to Boston College early in June but he continued to add offers and even participated in a camp at Penn State later that month. The Nittany Lions and assistant coach Anthony Poindexter have been in touch with Dixon for a long time but this public show of interest in Penn State should worry Boston College.
Unfortunately for the Eagles, Penn State isn't the only team they should worry about targeting Dixon. Michigan State is just one of the handful of other teams pushing to get Dixon's attention.
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Duff is one of the most obvious flip candidates in this class. He committed to Rutgers a few weeks ago, but the big-time tight end out of New York was strongly considering Miami and a couple other schools prior to his announcement. Duff very nearly took a pair of visits to Coral Gables right before his commitment and the Canes, along with Oregon, Florida State and Auburn, remain potential options down the road.
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Just like with Cross, Onwuka could be a prime flip candidate if there are coaching changes at West Virginia after the season. He has been helping the Mountaineers recruit many other players in this recruiting class but all bets are off if there are coaching changes.
Onwuka had a few other programs such as Wisconsin, Virginia Tech and Boston College on him earlier in the process. He has the traits to help a defense get more pressure on the quarterback at the next level, so he’ll be one player teams continue to track throughout the rest of the recruiting process.
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Palepale just announced his commitment to USC on July 1 but the Trojans were a bit of a surprise considering how heavily he was leaning toward Penn State just a few weeks ago. A late visit to Los Angeles at the end of June vaulted the Trojans to the top of his list. Distance from home was working against USC, so Penn State seemed like it had a strong hold on the title of "favorite."
USC defensive line coach Shaun Nua helped Palepale realize the Trojans were the team for him during his official visit. As the process moves forward and the reality of playing so far from home sets in, Palepale will be one player to keep an eye on for a possible flip.