Rivals national recruiting analyst Adam Friedman has thoughts on the ripple effects of new head coaches being named around the country, Heisman favorite Caleb Williams putting his recruiting hat on again and three-star prospects in the East who could become difference-makers.

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Three major head coaching vacancies have been filled in other parts of the country and the magnitude of those moves are being felt in the East. Matt Rhule's first offer after becoming the new head coach at Nebraska went to Virginia Tech defensive back commit Dante Lovett, and the Huskers still hold a commitment from quarterback William Watson. Lovett's recruitment will be interesting to follow as we head into December. Watson isn't focusing on his recruitment until his season is over. How Rhule fills out his coaching staff will have a major effect on both of these prospects

With Luke Fickell heading north to Wisconsin, multiple East prospects who are committed to Cincinnati are now in limbo. Defensive end Brian Simms out of powerhouse Baltimore St. Frances is a former Boston College commit who had a number of teams pursuing him prior to flipping to Cincinnati. New Jersey offensive lineman Nick Oliveira seems to be on the verge of decommitting from the Bearcats. Within the last few days West Virginia, Rutgers, Pittsburgh, Syracuse and Penn State have either extended an offer or reaffirmed a previous offer. Rohan Davy out of Washington (D.C.) St. John's College High wasn't as heavily recruited as either Simms or Oliveira, but he will attract attention from schools looking for a sure tackler and a reliable inside linebacker.

Auburn doesn't currently hold any commitments from the East region, but Hugh Freeze has the connections and cachet to pull off some flips. His recruiting board at Auburn is just coming together, but don't be surprised if he becomes a problem for teams such as Clemson, South Carolina, North Carolina, NC State, Tennessee, Vanderbilt, Virginia and Virginia Tech. While at Liberty, Freeze signed a total of 14 prospects from the Carolinas, Virginia and Tennessee, going back to the 2020 class, and he held five verbal commitments from those states in the 2023 class.

Prior to even stepping foot on the practice field or under the lights at the Coliseum at USC, Caleb Williams was already hated by the fan bases at Oklahoma and Pittsburgh. Oklahoma ran former Heisman hopeful Spencer Rattler out of town in favor of Williams, the current Heisman favorite. The fact that he's had so much success so quickly in Los Angeles has made losing the star quarterback all the more painful.

Why do Pitt fans despise Williams? He had a hand in recruiting former Biletnikoff Award-winning receiver Jordan Addison away from Pittsburgh. Williams and Addison had a relationship dating back to their time as high school prospects, working out together and playing 7-on-7 in the DMV before signing in the 2021 class.

It appears Williams could be working on enticing another very talented receiver to join him in Los Angeles. On Monday, former Rivals100 receiver Dont'e Thornton announced his intentions to leave Oregon and enter the transfer portal when it opens this upcoming Monday. As with Addison, Williams was friends with Thornton while they were in high school. The two frequently worked out together and played 7-on-7 together.

On Tuesday, Williams retweeted an article reporting the news of Thornton's intentions, leading to speculation that we could see a repeat of what happened with Addison. It certainly wouldn't be a surprise if Thornton ended up in L.A., but Penn State also figures to be a player for the talented receiver. The Nittany Lions once held Thornton's commitment early in the recruiting process, but there will be plenty of suitors for Thornton once he officially enters the portal.

Only four players in the East are rated at least four-stars and remain uncommitted: five-stars Nyckoles Harbor and Samson Okunlola and four-stars Rahmir Stewart and Dylan Gooden. There are a number of heavily recruited three-star prospects in the East still available who will be counted on as difference-makers when they get to the next level.

Brandyn Hillman - Notre Dame has been considered a major contender for Hillman but Virginia Tech picked up some momentum in the last month. The Fighting Irish are still in good position but Kentucky, Miami, Oklahoma, Tennessee, North Carolina and Virginia are also involved.

Joseph Mupoyi - Teams around the country have been tracking Mupoyi for a couple years. Penn State is in the best position right now, but there are still some unknowns in his recruitment. Other teams have a window to make a move, but he is scheduled to take an official visit to Penn State next weekend and that window could close once he returns home.

Suderian Harrison - Virginia was on Harrison early, but Louisville and Vanderbilt are very much in the mix. He'll be in Charlottesville this weekend for an official visit and will head to Vanderbilt for an official visit next weekend. Louisville has already hosted him for an official visit, but momentum seems to be on the side of the Cavaliers.

Aziah Johnson - North Carolina and Virginia Tech have to be seen as the big players for Johnson, but his recruitment seems to still be open for other contenders to emerge. The Hokies like where they stand, but the Tar Heels are leaning on their connections to try to pick up some momentum. Michigan State and South Carolina are two schools to keep an eye on as the Early Signing Period nears.