Mind of Mike: Dissecting wave of high-profile commitments

Starting on July 4, there have been many fireworks in the world of college football recruiting with commitments from some major prospects. Here’s a look at 12 four-stars from the class of 2017 who have recently made headlines with commitments and my take on each.

What it means – Georgia keeps another key player in state and Kirby Smart is doing an excellent job of focusing on protecting the borders. Initially losing him to Notre Dame stung, but Smart and his staff took care of business after Beal opened things up and beat Alabama in another head-to-head battle.

Who it hurts – Alabama. I could put Notre Dame here since he was committed to the Irish early, but once that fell apart, it was Alabama that was in the driver’s seat until Georgia sealed the deal. ‘Bama loves versatile pass rushers like Beal who can stand up and put their hand in the ground and it wanted him badly.

Will it stick? I think it sticks. Georgia is close to home, they have stability at the head coaching position and he already committed once and had a chance to choose ‘Bama. The Tide will continue to work on him and try to flip him and when Alabama is involved, anything could happen, but I think he’s soured on them a bit and is happy the process is over.

What it means -- Auburn is putting together a really nice offensive line class and landed a guy out of the panhandle of Florida who can play guard or even center. It will help recruiting efforts in the Sunshine State even with his proximity to Auburn.

Who it hurts -- No one, really. With three trips to Auburn and a great relationship with offensive line coach Herb Hand, this wasn't a surprise. Others certainly wanted him, but no one that had a better geographical advantage.

Will it stick? With the way Brahms talks about Hand, as long as he's on staff at Auburn, then this should stick. Heck, even if Hand isn't there, Brahms loves Auburn plain and simple.

What it means – Georgia seems to know what they are doing at running back these days, so I would expect this means that Carter will be one of the next great ones in a UGA uniform. It also means that the running back development reputation at the school can land a kid all the way from Houston.

Who it hurts – Texas A&M. The Aggies were once thought to be the early leader for Carter and they really wanted to keep him in state. He has always liked the SEC and A&M offered him a chance to play in the conference and stay close to home. This has been all Georgia for a while now, so it is not a surprise, but it hurts the Aggies because Carter was such an early target with interest.

Will it stick? This is another commitment that isn’t really close coming down to decision time. But what if Georgia lands D’Andre Swift or another big-time back? Will Carter decide to take a closer look at local options like Texas A&M or LSU? The only reason this falls apart would be if Carter didn’t feel comfortable competing with the other back they bring in. But if it didn’t stop Todd Gurley (Keith Marshall in same class) or Sony Michel (Nick Chubb in same class), it shouldn’t stop Carter.

What it means – LSU is getting a high-energy safety who loves to hit and covers a lot of ground. He may not be as naturally talented or as aggressive as Jamal Adams, but they are getting a future leader like Adams in Delpit. And it doesn’t hurt they continue to attract Texas prospects.

Who it hurts – No one. This was pretty much always LSU since he got offered despite some good visits to some very intriguing programs. You could say Clemson gets bit a little here because they made a nice run at him, but when it appears to be such a landslide decision, I don’t see anyone being majorly disappointed.

Will it stick? This was wasn’t even close according to most accounts and the DBU reputation LSU has should make this an easy stick. The one caveat? Will Les Miles survive the season? If he doesn’t, it all depends on who is put in charge next and if defensive backs coach Corey Raymond is in the plans.

What it means – The Spartans get a hard-nosed, competitive and physical tight end who can stretch the field a bit but also block in their running offense. And they land a key prospect in the state of Ohio, something they can use and build on this year and next.

Who it hurts – Penn State. With good friend Sean Clifford set to throw the passes at Penn State as the quarterback of the future, Dotson was expected to join him as the Nittany Lions were reported to be his leader for a long time. Penn State even got a recent visit which went well, but couldn’t hold off the Spartans' recent push.

Will it stick? Dotson seems to be one of those kids who makes his mind up and won’t waiver, maybe it’s a Midwest thing or the school he hails from, but that seems to be his personality. It will be tempting to keep an eye on Penn State as Clifford likely continues to work him, but if Michigan State keeps rolling along and the Nittany Lions struggle on the field, I don’t see a reason to worry for Spartans fans.

What it means – It means that Notre Dame offensive line recruiting is still in an amazing zone. Coach Harry Hiestand is one of the best offensive line coaches in the land and does a great job recruiting. Pulling Hainsey away from his home state interest and from the SEC and ACC teams working players down at IMG is impressive.

Who it hurts – Penn State. The Nittany Lions were his early, early favorite according to many sources and he always liked Big Ten country despite heading off to IMG. As a former in-state prospect, it hurts both Penn State and Pitt here, but the Nittany Lions seemed to have more of his interest early on.

Will it stick? I don’t see Hainsey as a guy who flips. He’s a no-nonsense kind of kid who put a lot of time and thought into this decision. Notre Dame is also a great academic school and that factors in when kids commit to the Irish and helps them retain those commitments.

What it means – Michigan gets another key offensive lineman, a guy who could begin inside and work his way out to tackle and who has a high ceiling. But most importantly, they get a Florida prospect who is a big name and will make others in the state take notice that he’s spurning the SEC for Jim Harbaugh.

Who it hurts – Florida. The Gators were the leader for Herbert for the longest time and this was actually almost a done deal a few times according to sources. So for Harbaugh to pull this one out and lure away a top Florida prospect up to Big Ten country is a big deal and a big blow to the Gators.

Will it stick? This will be interesting to watch. Harbaugh is a great recruiter, big things are expected in Ann Arbor this season and you know the staff will recruit Herbert as if he’s wide open. But this is a long-distance commitment and he will have people in his ear over and over again about the Gators locally. And you can bet Florida won’t give up.

What it means – The rich get richer as Clemson adds another dynamic wide receiver and keeps their recent tradition going. With Sammy Watkins, DeAndre Hopkins and Martavis Bryant (when out of trouble) emerging as stars in the NFL, its little wonder that Clemson can get who they want at the position.

Who it hurts – Tennessee. The Vols had Higgins as an early commitment, really needed to keep him in state and losing him to Clemson hurts a bit more because the Tigers also flipped quarterback Hunter Johnson and have been raiding the Vols home state.

Will it stick? It should stick. After all, Higgins had already committed to Tennessee and had a chance to re-commit but still chose Clemson. Barring something crazy this upcoming season with the key coaches, he’s making an impact in Death Valley next season.

What it means – Notre Dame is getting an athletic, quick prospect for its offense and a guy they liken to CJ Prosise. That means he can be used out of the slot, as a running back and in many different packages. In a spread offense, guys like Holmes are key and he’s a great fit for what Notre Dame wants to do.

Who it hurts – No one. Penn State could be mentioned here as they were considered an early favorite, but the Nittany Lions faded after offering him initially on defense and then as a wide receiver when he wanted a different role. But honestly, we all knew it was Notre Dame for a while now, so this doesn’t hurt anyone.

Will it stick? Holmes seems to love Notre Dame and the role they want him to play so I can’t see anyone shaking this commitment barring a massive change of philosophy or a key coaching loss.

What it means – New Coach DJ Durkin keeps another top player in state, which is his No. 1 priority. It also means Maryland gets longer and more athletic in the defensive backfield. This will help them with other locals as Jones will act as a recruiter.

Who it hurts – No one. Clemson could be mentioned here as they did a good job with Jones and were thought to be a solid second many times to the home-state Terps, but why punish the Tigers for doing a great job recruiting him when they never led and when it was clear he was staying home? This one doesn’t really hurt anyone.

Will it stick? If this was last year with Randy Edsall on the hot seat I’d say no, but with Durkin in charge and with plenty of time and confidence being given to turn the program around, I don’t see Jones flipping. Schools will continue to press hard and if Maryland has an awful year in a terrorizing division you never know, but right now this is solid.

What it means – Florida State gets more athletic and more versatile on offense as Laborn can be a shifty running back but also factor in the passing game and work out of the slot. He’s very slippery and hard to handle in space, something the ‘Noles love to take advantage of in many ways.

Who it hurts – Virginia Tech. Laborn is an in-state prospect from an area the Hokies used to dominate, so when they get down to the top two of a player of his caliber, losing out to ACC power FSU hurts. Florida State has come into Virginia and the DMV and done damage in recent years and this continues that trend.

Will it stick? He almost pulled the trigger at least one other time to FSU I hear, so this one sticks. Florida State should have a big year, Dalvin Cook will leave for the NFL and the chance to play early for a title contender should hold off the rest.

What it means – UGA keeps a key offensive lineman in state and adds a key cog to a very good offensive class. Kirby Smart likes his offensive linemen tall and long and athletic and Thomas fits right in with that. With Beal and Thomas on board, along with many other in-state kids, Georgia recruiting in the Peach State gets stronger with each commit.

Who it hurts – Notre Dame. I put the Irish on here because of the amazing job they have been doing recruiting offensive linemen and how much they coveted Thomas, but it was a longshot to draw him out of state, so it’s not that big of a sting.

Will it stick? I don’t see Thomas flipping. Georgia is close to home, the new staff is doing a great job with in-state kids and there are a lot of commitments that act as recruiters and will help keep everyone together.