Flip watch: Rivals250 prospects who could change their decisions
Like every recruiting cycle, flip season is coming as high school seasons come to a close and the Early Signing Period is fast approaching. There are no guarantees in the recruiting world, but here’s a look at some prospects in the Rivals250 who could be making a change soon.
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The four-star running back from Orlando (Fla.) Edgewater was committed to Florida State earlier in his recruitment, but he backed off that with plenty of time to make another decision.
That came in August when Baxter committed to Texas and it was a big coup for the Longhorns to go into the state of Florida for someone teams across the SEC and Southeast wanted. While Baxter says he remains 100% committed, the four-star was back at Florida State two weekends ago and is returning this weekend for an official visit.
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It has been no secret that Oklahoma and Texas A&M have not given up recruiting Bowen and have even ramped up their efforts since Notre Dame has struggled this season. Meanwhile, the Denton (Texas) Guyer standout is making his claim as the top safety in this class.
This will all come down to whether Bowen decides he’s sticking it out with the Irish or feels like there’s a better opportunity elsewhere. Watch Alabama as a dark horse here.
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Miami Central teammates Stanquan Clark and Cataurus Hicks have been committed to Louisville, but Clark has been pulled by the Hurricanes to stay closer to home. It will be interesting to see if Rueben Bain’s decision will have any influence on the four-star linebacker.
Bain is considered a Miami lean right now, and with the Canes also coming after Clark it wouldn’t be a shocker to see him end up there.
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The No. 1 dual-threat quarterback in the 2023 class has been committed to Louisville since late January, and he has led the charge to get other top California - and national - prospects to join him in this Cardinals’ class. He’s been to Louisville numerous times, is vocal about his commitment and where things stand and the Cardinals look to be in good shape.
But in recent weeks, UCLA coach Chip Kelly has taken a personal approach to recruiting Clarkson as he came out for an entire practice and has talked with the family about how the four-star would fit in the Bruins’ offense. The pitch of being used similarly to Dorian Thompson-Robinson could be intriguing, but Clarkson has not backed off his pledge.
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When Cobb committed to Auburn in July, the four-star running back who’s having a big senior season cited his relationship with the coaches - especially position coach Cadillac Williams - as one of the big reasons why the Tigers won out. Well, what if the coaches get fired?
It has not happened after losses to Georgia and Ole Miss and there’s some belief the school doesn’t want to lose the team by getting rid of coach Bryan Harsin. But it still feels more than likely that this situation won’t work out. Oh, plus Georgia just offered Cobb as it searches for another running back in this class.
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Florida pulled a major recruiting coup over Alabama and others when the four-star defensive end from Gardendale, Ala., picked the Gators in mid-August. He cited his love for the coaching staff in Gainesville as one of the biggest reasons why he made the decision. Since that time, Collins has been vocal about his commitment and trying to get others to join him in Florida.
But Alabama has not stopped coming after him, especially since defensive linemen are a priority for the Crimson Tide, and Collins did visit Tuscaloosa in early October. It’s one worth watching, but it would be a surprise if he flipped.
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There are no serious indications yet that a flip is imminent, but the Alabama commit is still planning to take a visit to Georgia for its game against Tennessee in a couple weeks. Haynes and No. 2 running back Richard Young are both committed to the Crimson Tide, and that seems perfectly fine with both of them because they could be a dynamic duo in Alabama’s backfield.
But Haynes saw Georgia’s win over Oregon this season in person, and now he’s heading to Athens for a visit. Plus, he’s a legacy recruit, so it’s at least worth watching.
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Basically, from the beginning of his recruitment, Texas A&M was one of the top schools for the five-star linebacker from Denton (Texas) Ryan, and he committed to the Aggies over Texas in late July.
A promising season was supposed to come for Texas A&M, but instead it’s been another disappointing one for coach Jimbo Fisher and his staff as the Aggies find themselves at 3-4. Texas has not stopped coming after Hill, so if things go from bad to worse for the Aggies the Longhorns could look more appealing.
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The four-star safety from Fairburn (Ga.) Langston Hughes has been committed to Auburn since April. But with all the coaching turmoil going on there Love visited South Carolina last weekend for its win over Texas A&M and the Gamecocks have been the biggest threat to the Tigers in his recruitment.
Ole Miss, Mississippi State, Michigan State and others are taking a shot as well, but Love has said recently that even if there is a coaching change he still likes Auburn as a school and could stay pledged. However, many others are poking around.
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An early Oklahoma commit, Moore was part of the California contingent that pledged to Louisville this offseason, and it has stuck through the latter part of his senior season. But trips to Georgia and Texas are coming up and those are two programs that intrigued him through his recruitment.
There is some talk that if Louisville coach Scott Satterfield is let go at some point the Cardinals’ class won’t disintegrate, but Moore is looking at other options as well.
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The four-star cornerback from Dallas South Oak Cliff was all about Texas at the OT7 event in Las Vegas this summer. He wore Longhorns gloves the whole time and then he committed there before his senior season started.
But Texas A&M and Alabama continue to pursue Muhammad, who could see a bump in the next round of rankings. The Aggies are a mess, but defensively they’ve been relatively good and the Crimson Tide have liked Muhammad for a long time.
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The top-rated all-purpose back in the 2023 class pulled a little bit of a stunner when he committed to Louisville in June after being pledged to Texas earlier in his recruitment. But since that time he has stayed steadfast that he’s sticking with the Cardinals.
We will see how the remainder of the season plays out and whether coach Scott Satterfield is retained (there is a contingent that believes Satterfield’s future is not the final straw here), but Texas A&M continues to push, and Ole Miss and Florida are not giving up.
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The case of Perkins is an interesting one because the Ole Miss commit and the state’s top player from Raleigh, Miss., continues to visit Alabama - but he has not flipped yet. Perkins even said after a recent visit that it was his best trip yet, but he then returned to Ole Miss for a visit and is still committed to the Rebels.
There are some rumors his family likes Alabama a lot and that the Crimson Tide could eventually get him, but it hasn’t happened yet. Another camp believes he sticks with Ole Miss in the end.
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Keeping Kedrick Reescano in Michigan State’s class is a top priority for coach Mel Tucker and his staff, but the four-star running back from New Caney, Texas, is making things pretty interesting.
Over the last few weeks, Reescano, who has 1,200 rushing yards and 22 touchdowns this season, has visited Ole Miss and Oklahoma State as he looks at other programs while sticking with the Spartans for now.
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The Glen Ellyn (Ill.) Glenbard West four-star offensive tackle has been committed to Wisconsin since June, but with a coaching change there and Notre Dame’s ramped-up efforts to recruit him things have gotten a little more interesting. Things picked up even more after Terek recently had a phenomenal trip to South Bend, and the Irish made it clear he’s one of the final pieces to their offensive line recruiting in 2023.
It’s basically time to sit down and figure out whether he's sticking with the Badgers or flipping to Notre Dame.
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On Aug. 1, Vasek committed to Oklahoma over Texas and Oregon despite being a Longhorns legacy. And while his pledge remains firm to the Sooners - he recently said he still believes in coach Brent Venables and position coach Miguel Chavis - Texas has only ramped up its involvement with the four-star defensive end.
Vasek also attended the Longhorns’ win over Iowa State and has been hanging around Texas QB commit Arch Manning.
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Texas beat out in-state LSU - and especially Alabama - leading up to Williams’ commitment in June, but those teams and others have not backed down. If the Crimson Tide continue to have success to close out the season, and if LSU keeps looking stronger as the season goes on, then the New Iberia (La.) Westgate standout could reassess things with the Longhorns.