The decommitments that defined the 2022 recruiting class
The last few weeks have been defined by the craziness that is the 2021 coaching carousel. Arguably the biggest consequence of all the coaching moves has been the high number of decommitments, from prospects all over the country and all across the talent spectrum.
There are decommitments and flips every cycle — it’s the nature of recruiting. And there was plenty of movement before the silliness started up a few weeks ago.
But this cycle will be remembered for not only the number of the flips, but also for the quality of the flips, including the biggest flip in the history of college recruiting.
5-Star Plus+ CB Travis Hunter from Florida State to Jackson State
The No. 1 player in the country, according to the On3 Consensus, a complete and equally weighted industry-generated average, Travis Hunter was seemingly committed to Florida State for the long haul. He committed in March 2020 and dismissed reports this fall that Georgia was piquing his interest.
Everyone was looking in the wrong direction, and in comes HBCU Jackson State and “Prime Time” Deion Sanders with the biggest flip in the history of college recruiting. The No. 1 player in the country dropping a historical powerhouse — albeit one struggling at moment — for an FCS school only happens in movies. Well, only happened in movies before Wednesday.
“Not much shocks you in this business after 20+ years,” On3’s Gerry Hamilton said. “My jaw has been dropped.”
5-Star Plus+ WR Evan Stewart from Texas to Texas A&M
The best wide receiver in the country, Evan Stewart was committed to Texas for about three weeks during the winter but decommitted soon after. His commitment was a dog fight between a bunch of different teams that each believed they had the advantage at one point from the Longhorns to Florida to Texas A&M.
The Aggies won out in the end, securing Stewart’s commitment less than two weeks before signing day. He did it seemingly on a whim as well, posting on Instagram without any formal announcement that a decision was coming. Either way, he becomes arguably the most dynamic offensive weapon to commit to Texas A&M since Jimbo Fisher took over.
5-Star DL Gabriel Brownlow-Dindy from Oklahoma to Texas A&M
Gabriel Brownlow-Dindy‘s flip was one of the most shocking of the recruiting cycle — even that shouldn’t have been that shocking. He originally choose Oklahoma in October, highlighting the relationship he had with Lincoln Riley and Calvin Thibodeaux in the process.
Then Riley left for USC — in a way that Brownlow-Dindy did not like — and Brownlow-Dindy had to decide whether he wanted to stay with the Sooners or switch. He elected to flip to Texas A&M, once again citing the relationship he had built with the regime in College Station.
5-star Plus+ CB Domani Jackson from USC to ???
Domani Jackson is the top player on the West Coast, and his college decision will be a sign of things to come over the next few years.
He committed to USC in January and stayed committed for the next 11 months as schools like Alabama and Michigan came knocking. Jackson stayed committed but back off in November, and it appeared the Crimson Tide had all the momentum.
That changed when Lincoln Riley was hired. Momentum flipped back to USC. Jackson isn’t announcing his college decision until Friday, and there is a lot of time to go before then. But if Riley can get Jackson back in the fold, it would be a statement to the rest of the country that teams aren’t going to be able to get anyone they want out of the state.
5-star OT Kelvin Banks from Oregon to Texas
Texas was always the dream school for Kelvin Banks. But his first commitment was to Mario Cristobal and Oregon.
Then Cristobal left for his dream at his alma mater of Miami, which resulted in Banks decommitting and then getting to live out his dream of committing to in-state Texas.
“It feels good because I always say, ‘God do things for a reason,’ and I believe what happened with Oregon was for a reason, and it led me to Texas, which would help me take care of my family more as well,” Banks told On3’s Hayes Fawcett.
5-star DL Mykel Williams from USC to Georgia
The first big flip somewhat resulting from a coaching change, Mykel Williams flip from USC to Georgia was not the most surprising. He had been trending towards the Bulldogs for weeks. But it was still a major pickup for Georgia.
Williams is one of the best defensive lineman in the country, and he has the potential to fill the big holes that are opening up soon. His flip was also a harbinger of what was to come with players flipping during the end of the season with the coaching cycle went into full swing.
5-star CB Jaheim Singletary from Ohio State to Georgia
Jaheim Singletary was committed to Ohio State for eight months before leaving the class in August. He stayed uncommitted for a few months but he locked in with Georgia. The Buckeyes are known for producing some of the best defensive backs in the country. So Singletary going to the Dawgs over the Buckeyes is a huge recruiting wins.
4-star S Jacoby Mathews from LSU to ???
The nation’s top safety recruit, Jacoby Mathews is still uncommitted and won’t sign until February. But he was once committed to LSU way back over the summer. This is a recruitment to watch over the next few months, and maybe the final crown jewel of a recruiting class.
4-star Bryce Anderson from LSU to A&M
Bryce Anderson originally committed over two years ago on September 1 to LSU. One of the first big-time players to commit, Anderson stayed with the Tigers for over a year before decommitting in January. He ended up choosing between Texas and Texas A&M, selecting the Aggies. It was a sign of the success the Aggies would have in some of the biggest Texas recruiting battles over the next few months.
5-star WR Luther Burden from Oklahoma to Missouri
Luther Burden is the type of player Missouri is prioritizing under Eliah Drinkwitz. The Tigers need to keep the best players from the state of Missouri in the state. And Burden is by far the best player in the state.
He was originally committed to Oklahoma before decommitting and giving the Tigers a chance to land him. Missouri then fended off Georgia to land him, and secure one of the most surprisingly recruiting classes in the country.
5-star CB Daylen Everette from Clemson to Georgia
Brent Venables had one of the best runs for a coordinator this century as the defensive coordinator for Clemson. He not excelled coaching on the field, but also while on the recruiting trail.
So when he left for Oklahoma, it would bound bring some changes to the Tigers recruiting class. The biggest commit to depart in the aftermath was five-star cornerback Daylen Everette. The IMG Academy product left Clemson and a few days later committed to Georgia, joining the Bulldogs stout defensive recruiting class.
4-star S Sam McCall from Florida to Florida State
Losing Travis Hunter is devastating for the Florida State recruiting class. He and Sam McCall would have made up an elite secondary. The four-star safety out of Lakeland (Fla.) High and Hunter had the potential to lead one of the top defensive backfields in the country.
McCall committed to Florida way back in October 2020 before decommitting on New Year’s Day. He was committed to Florida State two months later and has remained a key prospect for the Seminoles since then.
4-star QB Devin Brown from USC to Ohio State
Devin Brown had quite the fall season. He transferred to Draper (Utah) Canyon Corner and put up explosive numbers for a team that reached the state championship game. His performances saw him rise up up recruiting rankings and put himself in the conversation for top quarterback in the class.
But on the flip side, Clay Helton was fired at USC, where he was committed. He received plenty of interests from other schools but stayed locked in with the Trojans until three weeks ago when he decommitted. He immediately became the top available quarterback and elected to go to Ohio State, which had a quarterback opening in its class after Quinn Ewers jumped up a grade.
4-star WR Raleek Brown from Oklahoma to USC
No coaching move had more impact on the recruiting trail than Lincoln Riley‘s dash from Oklahoma to USC at the end of the regular season. The move sent a message to recruits from the beaches of Santa Monica to the banks of the Charles Rivers and everywhere in between.
Unsurprisingly, there was a ton of recruiting movement in both the 2022 and 2023 class. No move in the 2022 cycle epitomized what Riley’s decision means more than Raleek Brown following Riley to LA.
Brown, who goes to Santa Ana (Calif.) Mater Dei, is someone who wouldn’t have even thought about leaving Southern California 15 years ago. But USC had no momentum on the trail, and the best of SoCal were getting plucked away left and right. Flipping Brown, and doing so almost immediately after taking the job, demonstrated Riley is going to make keeping local kids home a priority for Southern California.
4-star QB Gunner Stockton from South Carolina to Georgia
Gunner Stockton was one of the first major flips in the 2022 recruiting cycle. He originally committed to South Carolina in August 2020 but decommitted in January after head coach Will Muschamp was fired and offensive coordinator Mike Bobo left for Auburn. A few weeks later, he joined the Bulldogs.
4-star RB Le’Veon Moss from Alabama to Texas A&M
Nick Saban doesn’t lose recruiting battles often, and his barely loses battles where he already has a commitment. But he lost the battle for Le’Veon Moss.
Moss was committed to Alabama for two months in the summer before he decommitted. He kept a lowkey recruitment so when he committed to Texas A&M out of the blue in November, it was a surprise, but a huge win for Jimbo Fisher and the Aggies staff.
4-star S Keon Sabb Clemson to Michigan
Three IMG Academy defenders left Clemson after Brent Venables left, including Keon Sabb. But Sabb may have decommitted even if Venables had stayed in South Carolina.
The four-star safety went on an unofficial visit to Michigan for The Game against Ohio State in late November. Clemson commits taking visits to other schools is a no-no under Dabo Sweeney, so Sabb doing so was a clear indication that he was leaning towards going elsewhere. Whether Venables departure was the final push or Sabb was already in the Maize-and-Blue waters is unknown.
4-star ATH Deyon Bouie from Georgia to Texas A&M
Deyon Bouie was one of Georgia‘s earliest commits, pledging to the Bulldogs in November 2020. And he stayed committed for a while before backing off that commitment in June.
He soon flipped to Texas A&M after that, which in hindsight was a harbinger of what was to come for the Aggies. Flipping a prospect out of the state of Georgia is a monumental task, and Jimbo Fisher did it before the Fourth of July. A win like that sets the tone for a recruiting class, and the Aggies kept on rolling from there.