Ten of the craziest recruitments in Rivals history
MORE: Mike Farrell's thoughts on Rivals100 | New five-stars | Top 10 breakdown
There have been some wild recruiting stories this past recruiting cycle, headlined by Bru McCoy and now Chris Steele, maybe two of the craziest stories in the history of Rivals. It made us think about some other zany recruitments over the past few recruiting cycles. Here are 10 of the best, listed in alphabetical order.
Overview: Chase committed to Kansas early in his recruitment along with some other top-rated Louisiana prospects but then backed off that pledge. He then was reportedly considering a commitment to TCU over LSU but there was a snafu at The Opening with the NFL Network where Chase’s time slot for a pledge got bumped by another prospect, although the network reportedly disputes that story.
After The Opening, Chase returned home and committed to Florida. But when then-coach Jim McElwain got fired, Chase reopened his recruitment again. He nearly picked Auburn on National Signing Day but chose LSU.
Farrell’s take: This was a roller coaster ride for a very talented prospect and he got a lot of fanbases' hopes up. The Kansas commitment was a surprise and I thought he found his fit at Florida, but in the end he stayed home.
Overview: The simple part of Cowart’s decision came with the actual commitment and the announcement that he was picking Auburn over Florida on National Signing Day. And then all hell broke loose for a few hours as there was massive confusion over whether Cowart had signed with both schools, whether his high school coach faxed the letter and what exactly was playing out behind closed doors following Cowart’s decision.
The five-star’s mother told reporters the letter had been faxed but Auburn had not announced anything seemingly because there was confusion and no letter had been sent. Finally, after multiple hours of back-and-forth chatter about what was going on, Auburn received Cowart’s National Letter of Intent.
Farrell’s take: This was a crazy one to follow and I was the only reporter that Cowart was texting during the whole ordeal. I remember initially he said he was waiting to see where CeCe Jefferson ended up (Florida) and then it was that his coach was trying to force him to Florida. In the end he chose Auburn but never developed there and went to Maryland for a season. He’s off to the NFL now with the New England Patriots.
Overview: Emery considered a commitment to LSU early in his recruitment but decided to hold off. Then he thought about making a pick for Mississippi State but decided to wait. Then he committed to Georgia but then backed off that pledge in October of his senior season and wound up back where he started - committing to LSU and signing with the Tigers. The four-star ended up as the second-best running back in the class behind only five-star Alabama signee Trey Sanders.
Farrell’s take: This one wasn’t as crazy as some others, but his commitment to Georgia was a bit of a surprise. It’s hard to pull top players out of Louisiana but Georgia’s running back tradition was a big part of the reason. However, LSU’s recent running back tradition is impressive as well and Emery saw a clearer path to stardom there.
Overview: Now this was a recruitment with all kinds of twists, turns and storylines that took place over multiple regions. Whew. Hayes committed to USC in the summer before his junior year and then moved to Southern California to play that season. He spent about a month in the Los Angeles area before returning home, stuck with his pledge to the Trojans for a little more than a year but was considering other programs the whole time. Eventually, Hayes decommitted from USC and signed with Notre Dame. Hayes also attended at least four high schools in Orchard Lake (Mich.) St. Mary’s, Ventura (Calif.) St. Bonaventure, Detroit (Mich.) Cass Tech and Ann Arbor (Mich.) Skyline.
Farrell’s take: Hayes was a kid on our radar very early and many felt he would stay local so when he committed to USC and moved out there, many were surprised. Then when he came back, most felt he would end up closer to home, but the longer he remained committed to USC the more people began to wonder. Notre Dame eventually landed the talented five-star and he turned into a defensive end. Hayes was always a nice kid to deal with and had rare coverage skills for a 250-pounder.
Overview: Joseph’s recruitment turned out to be all ado about nothing. The four-star defensive back made an early commitment to LSU going into his junior year but then named Alabama as his top school while still committed to the Tigers. Joseph then backed off his LSU pledge but never took an official visit anywhere else and then re-committed to LSU at the Army All-American Bowl. After reports Joseph recently entered the transfer portal, his father told reporters his son would not be transferring and coach Ed Orgeron said “everything is good” when it comes to Joseph still on the team.
Farrell’s take: Many felt he was Alabama-bound but again it shows how tough it is to pull players out of Louisiana. The word “re-commit” has become a regular word in the recruiting vernacular and Joseph was one of many in recent years to choose a program, back off and then re-commit. It’s no surprise to see him flirting with the transfer portal however after the way his recruiting played out.
Overview: Mathis first landed on the recruiting radar in middle school and since about that time he has been flipping to one school or another before finally settling on Georgia. It was a windy road though as the four-star quarterback first committed to Iowa State to only then de-commit after Michigan State offered and he pledged to the Spartans. The following summer he then flipped to Ohio State and finished it off by finally signing with Georgia as former five-star QB Justin Fields announced his transfer from Georgia to Ohio State. In recent days, it was reported Mathis was hospitalized for emergency surgery because of a brain cyst.
Farrell’s take: Making four commitments isn’t easy, especially for a quarterback where there aren’t a ton of spots available, so this speaks to Mathis’ ability and how many schools wanted him. My thoughts and prayers are with him after his brain cyst surgery. I always felt Iowa State was the best offensive fit for his skills out of all the commitments he made.
Overview: McCoy’s recruitment is one for the books and it even spawned the Bru McCoy Rule, the first in Rivals history, that said if a player transfers schools between the early and late signing periods that he would count toward the school he transfers to. Then things got even more interesting.
McCoy originally committed to USC at the All-American Bowl and enrolled there, only to leave soon after and transfer to Texas. He participated in spring ball in Austin but announced last Friday he would be leaving the Longhorns and transferring back to USC. It remains unclear whether he will be immediately eligible with the Trojans.
Farrell’s take: This one is ridiculous, especially for a kid who appeared to be so level-headed and waited so long to make his decision. He made a rash decision when Kliff Kingsbury left USC but also felt he would be a good fit at Texas. But homesickness got the best of him and now he’s just a regular transfer whose Rivals profile can never tell the full story.
Overview: Steele looked like he was staying home, then he was off to the SEC only to be back in the Pac-12 before playing one snap at Florida. Here’s how it went down: The five-star cornerback committed to UCLA early in his recruitment but backed off that pledge and then picked USC. After various reports on why he decommitted from the Trojans, Steele picked Florida over Oregon, Oklahoma, USC and South Carolina at the All-American Bowl. He participated in spring ball in Gainesville but entered the transfer portal reportedly because a room-change request was not honored in time. Steele was in a room with Jalon Jones, who has been accused of sexual battery. Now it appears that Steele isn’t happy at Oregon and will transfer to USC with McCoy.
Farrell’s take: What’s wrong with these guys? Is it a California thing? This situation is very much like McCoy’s except Steele transferred after the February signing period so he never fell under the Bru McCoy rule. McCoy and Steele are good examples of what happens to talented kids who would normally choose USC but the Trojans program is so weak right now it led them elsewhere. Now they are back, or at least it appears so.
Overview: Watkins flipped and flopped between four different programs and it could end up being all for nothing. The four-star receiver originally committed to LSU but that pledge did not last a year. Then he picked Florida State but Watkins flipped to Texas during a visit to Austin. When that didn’t stick, he ended up signing with Florida and enrolling with the Gators. But Watkins was arrested twice in three months in Gainesville and he left the program.
Farrell’s take: Watkins was all over the map when it comes to choosing a program as he waffled from wanting to play defense to wanting to play offense and other stuff. It’s a shame he didn’t even give himself a chance to start a career in college but it’s also not surprising because he was a bit of a mystery when it came to his recruitment and thought process.
Overview: Woodbey was committed to Ohio State for months and raved numerous times about how many defensive backs the Buckeyes’ coaching staff developed for the NFL, but as the early signing period approached, things started to change. The five-star safety took a late visit to USC and it looked like the Trojans had emerged as the front-runner in his recruitment. But then at the last minute, Woodbey took a semi-secret trip to Florida State and in the early signing period he flipped to the Seminoles. What’s unique here is that night Woodbey admitted Ohio State - the school he committed to those many months before - was running third in his recruitment. If he didn’t pick FSU, Woodbey said he would have gone to USC.
Farrell’s take: This was a bit surprising and at the end we expected USC to be the choice but Willie Taggart and staff did a great job in recruiting him. He was sold on Ohio State for the longest time but late visits started to turn his head and now he’s a future star at Florida State. Woodbey is another five-star prospect that normally would have ended up at USC if the Trojans weren’t in such crazy shape.