Five-star flips to Washington
Shaq Thompson committed to Cal twice but it was not enough as the five-star safety from Sacramento (Calif.) Grant flipped to Washington late Monday night and said his heart was with the Huskies.
Thompson, the top-rated safety, fourth-best prospect in the 2012 class and No. 1 in the California state rankings by Rivals.com, had committed to Cal originally after a junior day but backed off his pledge a week later.
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Then Thompson re-committed to Cal at the U.S. Army All-American Bowl only to consider other options once defensive line coach Tosh Lupoi left the Golden Bears for Washington.
Oregon and UCLA were also being considered in this latest round of his recruitment but Washington always played a role because he liked his visits there and longed to play with former Sacramento Grant teammate James Sample.
Other schools including Notre Dame and USC were also involved in Thompson's recruitment at one point or another.
On Sunday, four-star defensive end Arik Armstead, a close friend of Thompson, committed to Oregon and the Ducks emerged as a possibility for the five-star standout but that did not happen.
Thompson had said he wasn't thrilled with Eugene and was looking to play in a bigger city but Oregon stayed involved in his recruitment.
Over the last week, Thompson had in-home visits with the Pac-12 schools remaining and then the Huskies emerged as the favorite.
The five-star who has been on a long and windy recruitment for some time finally ended things Monday with his pledge to the Huskies, who earlier in the day missed out on five-star offensive tackle Zach Banner, who committed to USC.
Cal has now lost two five-star commitments since the Army game in Thompson and defensive tackle Ellis McCarthy, who flipped to UCLA soon after Lupoi left the Golden Bears' staff.
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