Three-Point Stance: Big decommitments, weekend recruiting highlights

Rivals.com National Recruiting Director Mike Farrell’s thought-provoking Three-Point Stance is here with thoughts on some huge decommitments, the biggest commitments from the weekend and five guys not on the NFL Draft first-round radar who should be.

MORE: Top first-round producing programs | Power 5 commitments of the week

To perhaps everyone but the Penn State faithful, the decommitment of five-star defensive end Micah Parsons this past weekend was not stunning news. Whether it was some impressive visits to Ohio State or naming his dog Brutus after the Buckeyes' mascot, there were signs that perhaps Parsons was re-thinking his early commitment.

However, he wasn’t the only huge decommitment this weekend, as California quarterback Cameron Rising flipped from Oklahoma to Texas in perhaps more shocking news. These two decommitments rank among the biggest of the 2018 recruiting cycle so far.

Here are my top 10 of the 2018 recruiting cycle to date, while keeping in mind that it’s still only April…

1. DE Micah Parsons – He’s such a disruptive edge prospect that he could change a defense with his ability to play with his hand in the dirt or standing up. This is clearly the No. 1 target for Penn State, with Parsons hailing from Harrisburg, Pa., so to potentially lose him - especially to Ohio State - would be a blow.

2. QB Cameron Rising – A quarterback decommitment is a big deal, but when it’s a quarterback decommitting from Oklahoma to play for Texas, it hits the next level. Tom Herman brings an aggressive recruiting mentality to Austin, as he learned under the best “flipper” of recruits in history in Urban Meyer, but many felt if the California native was going to decommit from the Sooners, it would be to stay out west and not go play against them every season.

3. DB Al Blades Jr. – OK, I know. There’s still a very good chance that Blades Jr. ends up at Miami, but his decommitment from the ‘Canes, combined with his family ties to 'The U' and his high rank has to have him up here.

4. ATH Justin Watkins – The second Texas commitment on this list, Watkins had already decommitted once before he flipped from Florida State to Texas, but when was the last time the Longhorns flipped a coveted player from the Sunshine State? In fact, when was the last time Texas flipped a four-star from Florida and a four-star from California in the same recruiting cycle? How about never in Rivals.com history?

5. WR Devonta Jason, CB Corione Harris – A one-time LSU commitment choosing Kansas? That’s surprising. How about two of them? I’ve written about this numerous times and will continue to do so as long as they stay committed to the Jayhawks.

6. QB Colson Yankoff – Quarterbacks hit the decommitment scale a bit higher than others as I’ve explained, and a flip from Oregon to Washington is a big deal in the Pac-12. This kid could be a star for the Huskies and hurt the Ducks in the end.

7. WR Joseph Scates – Scates was a huge early commitment for Michigan State after the Spartans' awful season, but he’s now wide open it appears and it will be hard for the Spartans to reel him back in. It’s certainly not impossible, but I expect more and more offers to come in and cloud the situation.

8. DE Cameron Latu – A BYU decommitment doesn’t draw the headlines of some others, but the talented end from Utah spurned one of his home-state powers as offers from Alabama and others came in.

9. RB Camron Davis – A one-time Oregon State commitment, it wasn’t stunning to see Davis decide to stay home and commit to Miami. But a national top-50 prospect changing his mind is still big news.

10. WR Manuel Allen – Allen committed to USC early in the process but quickly changed his mind. If he had flipped to UCLA as many expected that wouldn’t have been as big a deal, but now he’s a Nebraska commitment as the Huskers continue to find success in California.

There were some big commitment-related doings over the weekend led by Rising’s flip to Texas.

UCLA landed the quarterback they wanted in Dorian Thompson-Robinson, Maryland added two four-star commitments, continuing the impressive work by D.J. Durkin, and Nebraska landed another big-time player from California.

Meanwhile, Miami continues to add talent to their top-rated recruiting class, Penn State landed two key offensive linemen and LSU raided Rome, Ga., in one fell swoop. USC hit De La Salle for an elite defensive tackle, Tennessee got a very talented quarterback and Washington got a hard-nosed defensive end away from rival Oregon.

In fact, there were so many commitments it’s hard to mention them all, so on Thursday I’ll break down my 10 hottest teams in the spring, which will be quite fluid as the commitments keep pouring in.

But for now, these were the five biggest to me (weekend only)…

1. WR Chase Williams to Nebraska – The California invasion continues and Williams brings size and versatility.

2. QB Cameron Rising to Texas – The flip of the year? It could be, and Rising is a great addition to couple with Casey Thompson as Herman has shown he can work with pro-style and dual-threats.

3. DE Adam Anderson to LSU – LSU goes into Georgia and flips a Dawgs commitment who is raw but has some of the same athletic traits as fellow Georgia native Arden Key.

4. QB Dorian Thompson-Robinson to UCLA – Jim Harbaugh wanted Thompson-Robinson badly, but Jim Mora wins out. He doesn’t have the on-field resume yet, but he has the skills to be elite.

5. DT Austin Fontaine to Maryland – Keeping top talent in state is key for Durkin, and defensive tackles are hard to find.

It's NFL Draft week, so here are five players that won’t be drafted in round one but I think will be stars in the NFL…

1. RB Joe Mixon, Oklahoma – Hate him or love him, he will be a star for someone.

2. WR Chris Godwin, Penn State – Why on earth isn’t he on any first-round radars?

3. DT Montravius Adams, Auburn – Seems to be in round two or three by consensus, but to me is a top-10 pick.

4. DE DeMarcus Walker, Florida State – Not a great athlete but a great football player and overlooked a bit in a loaded DE group.

5. TE Jake Butt, Michigan – Not as athletic as some others, but could have the longest career.