The 2024 decommitments and flips that have defined the 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. Typically 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 historical data suggests we’ll see a few hundred this fall and winter in the 2024 cycle. But we’re less than two weeks into August, and the fireworks have already been going for a few months now. Four of the nation’s 32 five-stars have already decommitted and committed to another school or straight up flipped from one to the other. And that’s just the beginning.
As the high school season kicks off, On3 breaks down the biggest decommitments and flips thus far in the 2024 cycle:
Dylan Raiola decommits from Ohio State and commits to Georgia
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. Since then, he’s become a lead recruiter for UGA and recently moved to nearby Buford (Ga.) for his final high school season.
Florida State flips 5-star TE Landen Thomas
A month prior to Raiola’s commitment, the Bulldogs lost one of their two five-star commitments at the time when Moultrie (Ga.) Colquitt County five-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 10 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.
Auburn poaches a pair of 5-stars 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 yet to show what they can do in that regard, 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 five-star linebacker Demarcus Riddick away from Georgia. The Tigers are now sitting just outside the range of a top-10 recruiting class with a few major uncommitted targets still out there, as well as few more flips they’re looking to pull off.
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 fall, and their most recent recruiting win was a big one.
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 flips Dakoda Fields away from USC
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 last week 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, has headlined a tough summer in Tinseltown.
UCF lands Jaylen Heyward after Georgia decommitment
Amidst the tidal wave of conference realignment over the past year, no program has taken advantage more on the recruiting trail than UCF. The future Big 12 members have been as hot as anyone this summer, with 15 commitments coming on board between June 1 and now.
That includes eight players ranked as four-star prospects in the On3 Industry Ranking, and the Knights have some damage not only in Florida, but hotbeds like Texas and Georgia as well. And it’d be hard to argue that any addition is bigger than that of four-star Rockledge (Fla.) safety Jaylen Heyward, who ranks as top-100 prospect this cycle. The one-time Georgia commit reopened his recruiting process in mid-July, and the Knights pounced, beating out in-state rival Miami, Michigan and Auburn.
UCF currently holds the No. 1 class in the new-look Big 12 and sits just inside the top-25 of the national team rankings.