Flip Watch: Which IMG Academy stars might have change of heart?
BRADENTON, Fla. – There never a shortage of recruiting action at IMG Academy. That tends to be the case at a school with dozens of FBS-bound prospects. Commitment flips are always part of that action. And, after a day spent talking to the school’s talented roster, Rivals.com examines five committed prospects that could have a change of heart before National Signing Day.
MORE IMG: Players predict where other players are going to land | Takeaways from IMG Media Day | Prospects weigh in about future teams
WHY HE MIGHT FLIP: Lucas has not been shy about discussing the possibility of a commitment change. He’s take unofficial visits to both Miami and Florida since pledging his services to FSU and plans to give each in-state school a hard look before signing with the Seminoles. He used the phrase “if I go to Florida State” on two separate occasions during a six-minute interview at his high school on Wednesday, which isn’t exactly the sign of a solid commitment. When it comes time to take official visits, the Florida State coaching staff may start to sweat.
WHY HE WILL STICK: Lucas says his indecision is just the product of wanting to keep his options open before locking into something finale. The fact that he’s visited FSU on three different occasions this offseason also plays in the Seminoles’ favor. Lucas continuing to take other visits could be a case of a prospect just enjoying the recruiting process, as his commitment to FSU has never appeared incredibly shaky to this point. The longer the four-star lineman stays pledged to Willie Taggart, the less likely a commitment flip gets.
WHY HE MIGHT FLIP: Smith been committed to Georgia for 18 months but continues to leave the door cracked for other schools in his recruitment. Alabama and Clemson seem to be the biggest threats, with both pitching early playing time and a path to the NFL. But the chance of flipping remains minimal until Smith actually takes a visit somewhere other than Georgia.
WHY HE WILL STICK: Smith has been the pied piper for the Bulldogs class since joining the fold and the Georgia native grew up wanting to play for the Dawgs. The fact that he has been committed for so long combined with his relative isolation at IMG Academy means that it’s unlikely he ends up anywhere but Athens when he signs in December.
WHY HE MIGHT FLIP: There was some buzz among other prospects at IMG Academy this week that Osborne might entertain other options before signing day, including taking a look back at his native Texas. Osborne already flipped once, initially pledging to TCU before switching to Auburn last month. Will he do it again? The Frogs aren’t giving up and Texas A&M could also be in the picture.
WHY HE WILL STICK: Osborne said this week that he remains excited about the Tigers and isn’t focused on other schools. He made his pledge to the Tigers after taking an official visit in June and the fact that he left Texas to go to IMG to begin with shows that he’s not afraid to branch out on his own. Auburn fans should feel confident, especially if he sticks to his plan not to take visits elsewhere.
WHY THEY MIGHT FLIP: Gregory and Nash are included as duo because they have already made the move from Memphis Central to IMG Academy together and flipped from their respective commitments to Memphis and Missouri to pledge to the Razorbacks. Gregory has yet to visit Fayetteville and the duo’s unpredictable nature means other programs won’t give up on them, most notably the hometown school in Memphis.
WHY THEY WILL STICK: Arkansas is the second commitment for each prospect as mentioned above and it’s clear they have a close bond and want to play together at the next level. Nash has been a vocal recruiter for the Hawgs, including being one of the major reasons the school was able to land Gregory. As long as the pair doesn’t take visits elsewhere and Gregory gets on campus soon, Arkansas fans shouldn’t have much to worry about.