Decommitments and flips that have defined the 2024 recruiting cycle
The first half of every recruiting cycle is defined largely by its commitments. More and more, prospects are choosing to come off the board early, with hundreds making their decisions in May, June and July. The latter half of the cycle is all about the opposite — decommitments and flips.
The 2023 class saw its fair share of that between September and December, and 2024 has arguably been even bigger. Following the first two days of the Early Signing Period, we’ve already seen a few major flips. And with three five-stars still unsigned, it’s possible we see even more between now and the February signing period.
As the final weeks hours tick down in the early period, On3 breaks down the biggest decommitments and flips thus far in the 2024 cycle:
Dylan Raiola’s winding recruitment ends at Nebraska
In May 2022, Five-Star Plus+ quarterback and No. 1 overall prospect Dylan Raiola surprised a lot of people when he committed to Ohio State over Georgia, USC and others. Throughout that spring, the Trojans and Bulldogs had been thought to be the major contenders to land him, but Raiola’s visit to Columbus helped seal the deal for the Buckeyes.
As time went on though, Raiola started reconsidering his choice and ultimately decommitted from Ohio State eight months later. He went through the recruiting process all over again, though he was largely focused on USC, Georgia and Nebraska this time around. A little over a year after his original commitment to the Buckeyes, he announced for the Bulldogs and Kirby Smart in May.
All signs pointed to Raiola signing with the Bulldogs about 10 days out from signing day. But like they do in recruiting, things changed — in a hurry. News broke that Nebraska was making a late push, in part driven by NIL, and Raiola set up an official visit for the final recruiting weekend. A few days later, he committed to Nebraska and ultimately signed with the Huskers, ending one of the most fascinating recruitments in recent memory.
KJ Bolden has a last-minute change of heart
No program recruited Buford (Ga.) Five-Star Plus+ safety KJ Bolden longer than the in-state Bulldogs. Kirby Smart met Bolden when he was a ninth-grader, and the two had an extremely strong relationship from then on. In August, Bolden committed to Florida State over Georgia and Auburn, spurning the local school.
But Bolden continued to take visits to Athens — publicly and quietly — and ultimately had to choose between those three schools all over again. This time, he couldn’t say no to Smart and the Bulldogs, flipping his commitment on signing day.
5-star Justin Scott changes commitment from Ohio State to Miami
Over the summer, Chicago (Ill.) St. Ignatius Justin Scott decided between a pair of Big Ten programs: Ohio State and Michigan. He opted for the Buckeyes and legendary defensive line coach Larry Johnson, but it was actually Miami who had been considered the favorite for much of the preceding few months.
As he told On3’s Chad Simmons, Scott started having second thoughts this fall and reconnected with Miami DL coach Joe Salave’a. From there, things quickly turned in Miami’s favor, and the Hurricanes added their first five-star in the 2024 class.
“I have been down there three times and I always loved it,” he told Simmons. “It always felt like family, and it is a place I wanted to stay each time I visited because of how I felt around the staff. And they have shown that young guys have great opportunities to make big impacts. Coach Mario Cristobal plays young players, and that stands out to me because I will go in and have a chance to make an early impact.”
Auburn poaches a trio of elite commits from SEC rivals
Arguably the biggest selling point for hiring Hugh Freeze at Auburn was his ability to recruit alongside the elite programs in the SEC. Under Bryan Harsin, the Tigers’ recruiting efforts had dropped off considerably, and the results on the field were less-than-stellar. Freeze’s squad has been up and down on the field this fall, but he and his coaching staff have made major waves on the recruiting trail.
In the span of a few days at the end of July, Auburn flipped two of the state’s top four recruits, pulling five-star wide receiver Perry Thompson away from Alabama and elite linebacker Demarcus Riddick away from Georgia.
Almost exactly four months later, Freeze pulled off his biggest win of the cycle, nabbing Five-Star Plus+ wideout and No. 4 overall prospect Cam Coleman away from Texas A&M. With Coleman and Thompson, as well as Bryce Cain and Malcolm Simmons, Auburn has the best wide receiver class in the country.
Armondo Blount moves up to 2024, flips from Miami to FSU back to Miami
Like the aforementioned Raiola, five-star defensive lineman Armondo Blount had an eventful recruitment to say the least. After committing to Miami in September as a 2025 recruit, Blount flipped his from Miami to rival Florida State on October 22. Just hours before that, news broke that Blount was reclassifying from 2025 up a year, and thus is eligible to sign with the Seminoles in either December or February.
It was a massive and much-needed addition for an FSU class short on line talent, and it never hurts to take away one of your hated rival’s top commits in the process. But his recruitment was far from over. Miami remained in contact with him, and he even visited Coral Gables unofficially after committing to FSU. Down to the final weekend of the cycle, he chose to officially visit Miami over the ‘Noles, all but cementing his re-flip. He made it official on Signing Day, giving Mario Cristobal two five-star defensive linemen in the same class.
Oregon poaches Elijah Rushing from Pac-12 rival
When Elijah Rushing committed to Arizona over the summer, much of the buzz leading up to his decision had centered around Oregon. The Ducks had a lot going in their favor at that point, but ultimately the pull of staying close to home was too much for the Tucson (Ariz.) Salpointe Catholic star. Fast forward a few months, and Oregon’s coaching staff hadn’t let up. Dan Lanning and Tosh Lupoi had a hot start on the field to show, as well as the early development of their young defensive ends.
Rushing decommitted from the Wildcats on October 8, and three weeks later he joined the Ducks’ class.
LSU beats out Texas A&M for OT Weston Davis
As Texas A&M has struggled along through this season under Jimbo Fisher, much of the speculation has centered around whether the Aggies will bring him back for another season in 2024. On the recruiting trail, teams have taken advantage of that uncertainty, and one of the biggest beneficiaries has been LSU.
The Tigers are pushing for a number of A&M commits, and they’ve already flipped one, landing On3 five-star offensive tackle Weston Davis at the end of October. The Tigers used their proximity to his home in Beaumont, as well as their early development of young linemen to pull off the flip. Now they turn their attention to recent Aggies decommit Dre’lon Miller, as well as current pledges Gabriel Reliford and Terry Bussey.
Florida State flips top TE Landen Thomas
A month prior to Raiola’s commitment, the Bulldogs lost one of their top commitments at the time when Moultrie (Ga.) Colquitt County four-star tight end Landen Thomas flipped his pledge from Georgia to Florida State.
The ‘Noles were UGA’s biggest competition for Thomas the first time around, and Mike Norvell and his staff never stopped pushing for the flip even after Thomas’ early commitment. Florida State now has four of the top 11 recruits in the Peach State committed, with Five-Star Plus+ safety KJ Bolden joining Thomas, running back Kam Davis and quarterback Luke Kromenhoek in FSU’s class.
Florida’s top-three class comes crashing down
Billy Napier had the wind at his back earlier this on the recruiting trail, as the Gators had a top-three class nationally and were just coming off landing five-star LJ McCray. But as they stumbled through the end of the regular season, lots of questions popped up about Napier’s future and whether he was right for the job.
And then the wheels fell off. Between Nov. 11 and signing day on Dec. 20, Florida lost eight commitments. That included elite four-star safety Xavier Filsaime (Texas), four-star cornerback Wardell Mack (Texas), four-star linebacker Jamonta Waller, and four-star defensive linemen Amaris Williams and Nasir Johnson.
On signing day, UF was able to hold onto five-stars DJ Lagway and LJ McCray, but took two more hits when four-star wideout Izaiah Williams and four-star linebacker Adarius Hayes flipped to Texas A&M and Miami, respectively.
Miami pulls Ny Carr away from Georgia
While Miami was on the wrong end of losing Armondo Blount, the Hurricanes pulled off a big flip of their own with four-star wide receiver Ny Carr. The Moultrie (Ga.) Colquitt County star comes from the same high school as Landen Thomas, and while FSU made a run at him after he decommitted from Georgia, the Hurricanes won out.
Paired with top-50 overall prospect Joshisa Trader, Carr gives Miami a dynamic weapon who can make plays all over the field.
Alabama picks off Peyton Woodyard
The Crimson Tide have quietly put together another top-five recruiting class, though it hasn’t been without setbacks like losing Thompson to an in-state rival. Still, Nick Saban and Co. have positioned themselves well heading into the Early Signing Period.
After losing out on Bellflower (Calif.) four-star safety Peyton Woodyard the first time around, Alabama beat out USC and Ohio State to flip him away from Georgia.
Oregon poaches two from USC, one from Ohio State
USC pulled off one of its biggest recruiting wins of the cycle in early June by beating out Oregon for coveted four-star cornerback Dakoda Fields. The Ducks were thought by many to be the leader heading into his USC official visit, but the Trojans turned the tables and got him to commit soon after.
The Trojans’ momentum didn’t last long though, as Fields announced in August that he was flipping his commitment to Dan Lanning and the Ducks. His decision, along with four-star offensive tackle Manasse Itete flipping to Florida State, headlined a tough summer in Tinseltown.
On Signing Day, the Ducks were among the biggest winners nationally as well. Four-star wide receiver Jeremiah McClellan announced in the morning that he was flipping from Ohio State to Oregon. And in the afternoon, Lanning and Co. pulled off the daily double by taking four-star wideout Ryan Pellum away from USC.