With a month to go until the Early Signing Period, it’s flip season in recruiting and there will be a lot to watch over the next few weeks.
There seems to be four categories of prospects out there right now: The completely uncommitted, those who have decommitted from a school and plan to commit somewhere during the early period, those who remain committed somewhere but there’s a high likelihood they could flip and those guys who are locked in and completely done.
Those potential flips are in focus today and there are plenty among the elite of the 2022 class.
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The nation’s top player, Florida State commit Travis Hunter, has been to Georgia at least twice this fall. He continues to assert there’s nothing there and that he’s locked in with the Seminoles. As time passes from his latest trip to Athens, I happen to believe he’s sticking with FSU.
Five-star defensive tackle Walter Nolen committed to Texas A&M two weekends ago but last week he visited Tennessee again. On its face, that could seem like a big deal but the feeling is that he sticks with the Aggies and that his recruitment could be closing up completely after this last trip to Knoxville.
Five-star cornerback Domani Jackson just backed off his pledge to USC and it looks like Alabama is clearly in the driver’s seat now. He had some interesting comments comparing Alabama and USC football when he decommitted and it’s hard to argue against them. The Trojans, the Crimson Tide and Michigan will all be considered in the final weeks but Alabama does look strong right now.
It feels like Oregon dodged a major bullet when Kelvin Banks decided not to visit Texas A&M recently. A Texas visit might still happen but that program is hardly in the right place at this point and it would be a surprise if Banks flips. If a late visit to College Station happens, then all bets are off but the Ducks have done a great job with Banks and so his commitment looks OK.
Walker Howard is an interesting one to watch. He continues to say he’s all LSU. However, the new hire is going to be an important consideration for everybody but especially a five-star quarterback. He took a seemingly innocuous visit to Notre Dame to see what else was out there and now Ole Miss is making a run and who knows if others are trying to flip him. The sense I get is that Howard wants to stick with LSU but if it’s a coach hire out of left field then there are other other options for him.
Tifton (Ga.) Tift County five-star defensive tackle Tyre West has been committed to Georgia since last December but Florida State had him on campus this summer and the Seminoles are still trying to flip him. My understanding is that West has given no serious indication that he’s thinking about flipping to FSU but that has not stopped that coaching staff from trying on him.
Four-star quarterback Devin Brown is definitely on flip watch. The USC commit really wanted to play for Graham Harrell and now with a new staff coming in there it’s unlikely Harrell stays in his position. Brown knows it and that’s why Ole Miss, Texas, Ohio State and others have been all over him trying to get him onboard. I have to think at some point, the Draper (Utah) Corner Canyon standout flips to another school.
Kiyaunta Goodwin is another one to watch. The massive offensive tackle has been committed to Kentucky since April but he recently visited Alabama and Florida State. He has trips to Texas A&M, Michigan and Michigan State coming up. There are those close to his recruitment who feel he sticks with the Wildcats after all is said and done but there is serious competition out there to flip him as well.
Four-star cornerback Julian Humphrey just basically flipped from Florida to Georgia. Teams are still working on getting Florida State pledge Sam McCall with Alabama showing some interest. Ole Miss, Mississippi State and others are after four-star CB Miami commit Khamauri Rogers. The Rebels and Bulldogs are working hard on four-star DT Jaheim Oatis, who’s been committed to Alabama since April.
When four-star Florida State QB commit A.J. Duffy left Bradenton (Fla.) IMG Academy a few weeks ago to rehab an injury back in his home state of California, fans got nervous even though he’s never hinted about playing anywhere else. They’re attuned to this time of year.
Flips are coming. Some will be known. Some will be surprises. All of it will be fun to watch.
