Five-star prospects on flip watch heading into early signing day
There are always major flips heading into the Early Signing Period – Travis Hunter flipping from Florida State to Jackson State last year comes to mind – and there will be more this recruiting cycle as well. Here are five players that could rethink their decisions – with no guarantees it will happen, of course.
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One of the biggest reasons the five-star quarterback from Detroit Martin Luther King chose Oregon was because of his outstanding relationship with offensive coordinator Kenny Dillingham from his days coaching at Florida State. Now with Dillingham off to be the coach at Arizona State, Moore is in an interesting position. But it looks like it could be much ado about nothing.
Oregon coach Dan Lanning flew to Detroit over the weekend to spend time with Moore, who’s saying all the right things about staying pledged to the Ducks. Former UTSA assistant Will Stein will be the OC now at Oregon, so that relationship with Moore will be crucial. Michigan State is trying to make a big run at Moore, with Miami, Michigan, Texas A&M and others hanging around in his recruitment as well.
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When Hicks committed to Texas A&M over Oklahoma in late September it surprised a lot of people because the Sooners had been pegged as the frontrunner in his recruitment for a while. But coach Jimbo Fisher and his staff continued to pound away, Hicks moved from Allen, Texas, to Katy (Texas) Paetow for his senior season and the Aggies won out.
But Texas A&M’s season collapsed. Oklahoma didn’t do a whole lot better, but the Sooners’ coaching staff has continued to work on him and OU is at least back within striking distance to flip him. The feeling over the last week or so is that A&M looks stronger than expected, but Oklahoma will not give up here.
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Downs committed to Alabama in late July and it was a big win for the Crimson Tide because Georgia badly wanted the Hoschton (Ga.) Mill Creek five-star safety. He’s remained committed to Alabama through the season, and at this past weekend’s playoff game, fellow Alabama pledge Justice Haynes was there as the two are close.
Also, there were assistant coaches from Alabama, Georgia and Ohio State as Downs made an interesting move recently and visited the Buckeyes for their game against Michigan. The word is that if Downs were to flip it would be to Ohio State but that it still seems unlikely as his Alabama commitment remains relatively strong.
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The new five-star safety has been committed to Notre Dame since New Year’s Day, but a final decision will have to come in the closing weeks before signing day: Stick with the Irish or flip to Oklahoma?
It has basically come down to that for the Denton (Texas) Guyer standout who has kept his pledge to Notre Dame, even after Texas A&M made a serious run at him, and now Oklahoma looks like the biggest competitor to flip him. There is some confidence he sticks with Notre Dame, while others believe he will end up with the Sooners. For his part, Bowen hasn’t said much about his thinking.
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It made complete sense when Proctor picked Iowa over Alabama and every other team in late June. It’s the in-state school, his former teammate at Pleasant Hill (Iowa) Southeast Polk, Xavier Nwankpa, plays there and the Hawkeyes have been recruiting the five-star offensive tackle for years.
But a visit to Oregon definitely impressed Proctor and his mother, which could make things really interesting down the stretch. Alabama is not giving up, either. A new offer from Colorado might not be too closely considered (Proctor said “not too much” when asked about his level of interest in the Buffaloes), but the Ducks definitely have a shot here.