Texas Spotlight: Five prospects that could flip
This past summer was a big one for the 2019 class in Texas after many of the state’s top prospects took full advantage of the new offseason official visits – and ultimately committed. Even with the added Early Signing Period, there is still a lot of time between now and December – and plenty of opportunity for teams to swoop in and persuade some of those committed players to flip. Here is a look at five top names from Texas to keep an eye on as the season rolls on.
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RELATED: Texas state recruiting rankings
Wright’s recruitment has been pretty straight-forward for a while now. The decision had always been between Texas and Texas A&M, but Wright popped off a somewhat surprise commitment to the Aggies early last month, and caught many off-guard as he previously said he planned to wait until the Under Armour All-American Game to announce. His connection to Texas had been strong, and the Longhorns have continued to recruit him, but the onus is going to be more on Wright. If he chooses to make a visit or two this fall, that could signal that there is still potential for him to flip.
The path to playing time at Texas Tech doesn’t seem too far for young quarterbacks as freshman Alan Bowman had to wait all of one quarter to get his first snaps for the Red Raiders last week. McIvor is one of the crown jewels in Tech’s recruiting class this year, but should things not go well this season for head coach Kliff Kingsbury, there could be some fallout. USC has offered a few committed Texas prospects in recent weeks, McIvor being one of them. He has since said that he is ‘solid’ to Tech, but it’s going to be tough to ignore the Trojans’ advances should things ultimately end up trending downward in Lubbock.
This is a more speculative selection, as some dominoes would have to fall for Tisdale to be a more serious flip candidate. But Ole Miss may end up being a victim of its own success this season if the offense continues to roll each week as it did in its season-opening win against Tech. If that’s the case, offensive coordinator Phil Longo would cement himself as a hot name to watch as a coaching candidate for whichever team could be in the market for a change. Should he leave the Rebels, so too might Tisdale, who would likely look to follow his coach in the right situation.
The Converse-Judson teammates have been discussed a lot since the spring. Leal has been committed to Texas A&M since early spring, but rumors have persisted about his interest in Alabama and Texas. Although he’s months removed from official visits to each, he’s a rare talent relative to the rest of the field of defensive linemen coming out of Texas, and if he holds the door open even just a crack, those power programs are going to try to get a foot in it. Meanwhile, Wisdom made a bit of an eyebrow-raising decision to commit to nearby UTSA, despite having several other Power Five offers, most notably from ACC programs. He’s a really talented two-way player that may see a renewed interest from other teams in- and out-of-state, and could be receptive to them.
McClellan is one of the top running back prospects in 2020 and though he’s been committed to Oklahoma for some time, he’s been honest about keeping a line open to Ohio State and Texas. He said in the spring that the scope of programs he’s holding some level of interest in is as wide as 15 teams, so with two years still to play, there could still be a twist or two to come. That said, he has maintained his happiness with his commitment to the Sooners, so it’s just as likely that McClellan stands pat as Oklahoma continues its success under head coach Lincoln Riley
