Breaking down the 10 biggest commitments in the month of August

With the college football recruiting calendar hitting a lull during the dead period in August, much of the work for programs in the 2026 class had already been done. Most teams had filled — or mostly filled — their classes by the end of July, and some have turned their focus more toward 2027.

But a host of big decisions were still out there, led by the final three five-stars in the class making their commitment decisions. We also saw a top-10 prospect flip their pledge, as well as the latest development in one of the more winding recruitments we’ve seen in recent years.

As September opens, Rivals looks back at the ten of the biggest commitments last month and which programs benefited from those decisions:

WR Tristen Keys – Tennessee

Rivals Industry Ranking: No. 7
The Skinny: Last week, five-star Hattiesburg (Miss.) wide receiver Tristen Keys shocked LSU fans by flipping his commitment from the Tigers to the Vols. Tennessee had long been considered one of the top schools in his recruitment, but Brian Kelly and receivers coach Cortez Hankton secured his pledge back in March. But the Vols’ coaching staff, led by Heupel and receivers coach Kelsey Pope, never relented on him. His commitment gives Tennessee arguably the most dynamic passing duo in this class, pairing him with five-star quarterback Faizon Brandon.

RB Savion Hiter – Michigan

Rivals Industry Ranking: No. 8
The Skinny: One of the quieter prospects in the country this cycle, Savion Hiter kept things very close to the vest as his recruitment wound down. He took officially visits to only four schools: Tennessee, Michigan, Ohio State and Georgia. And while the Bulldogs and Buckeyes were among the hats on the table, this race ultimately came down to the Vols and Wolverines. Both strong appealed to him, both for their success on the field developing RBs, but also the culture around their programs. In a short and to-the-point commitment ceremony, he donned the Block M and pledged to the Wolverines, moving them into the top-10 nationally in the team rankings.

SAF Bralan Womack – Auburn

Rivals Industry Ranking: No. 21
The Skinny: Auburn badly needed some momentum on the recruiting trail in August after what had been a brutal summer. And few targets were higher on their board than Bralan Womack, the country’s No. 1 safety out of Hartfield Academy (Miss.). Florida, Texas A&M and Ohio State were the other finalists involved, but the relationships he had with Auburn’s staff and the opportunity to play at a school he was very familiar with paid off for the Tigers.

“They made me and my family feel welcome, and it feels like home every time I’m there,” he told Rivals’ Chad Simmons. “My sister plays softball at Auburn, so I know the campus well. It feels like family.”

OL Darius Gray – South Carolina

Rivals Industry Ranking: No. 31
The Skinny: South Carolina has been on a roll recruiting the offensive line in recent years, landing not only top targets in their own state but out of it as well. They had their eyes on Darius Gray for more than a year, but had to battle heavyweights Clemson, LSU, Ohio State and Tennessee for the massive interior lineman. The Tigers were considered the leader for much of the summer, but as his commitment date drew near the Gamecocks kept coming up as the team beat. And they were, landing their first five-star of the cycle.

EDGE Jake Kreul – Oklahoma

Rivals Industry Ranking: No. 41
The Skinny: At the end of the Florida native’s recruitment, none of the local schools were top contenders for Jake Kreul. Instead, it was another edition of the Red River Rivalry as both Oklahoma and Texas coveted the elite pass-rusher from IMG Academy. The Sooners had been in this race for a long time and courted Kreul as one of their top overall targets in the class. But they had to fend off a strong late push from their rivals, who were looking to pair him five-stars James Johnson and Richard Wesley along the defensive line. Brent Venables and Miguel Chavis won this round, as Kreul announced for OU and gave them just their second top-100 commit in this class.

Davon Benjamin – Oregon

Rivals Industry Ranking: No. 43
The Skinny: Oregon was in early on Davon Benjamin, one of the top players on the West Coast in this class. USC, the local school was involved, but when it came time for official visits this summer he chose to see the Ducks, Texas and Michigan. Each of the three programs made a strong case for him. But the proximity to home and the chance to play for a coaching staff he’d gotten to know deeply over the past few years was going to be tough to pass up. The Wolverines made a big push during his official visit in June, but ultimately Benjamin chose the Ducks, adding to another elite class for Dan Lanning.

Davian Groce – Florida

Rivals Industry Ranking: No. 60
The Skinny: The Gators have been intent on loading up their receiver room around star sophomore quarterback DJ Lagway, and that’s been a major focus in this class as well. After landing four-stars Marquez Daniel and Justin Williams, top-100 prospect Davian Groce was the last big piece on the board at that position for them. Both Oklahoma and Baylor looked to be in prime position for Lone Star State standout, but when commitment time came, he chose the Swamp over both programs closer to home. He immediately became their top-ranked pledge this cycle and will add to a very deep pass-catching group in Gainesville next year.

Izayia Williams – Florida State

Rivals Industry Ranking: No. 61
The Skinny: It’s hard to point to a more roller-coaster recruitment in recent memory than that of Izayia Williams. One of the nation’s premier linebackers, he has made six commitments to five different schools in the past two years. He was at one time committed to: Louisville, Syracuse, Florida State, Florida and Ole Miss before flipping back to the Seminoles last month. With only three months until Signing Day, we’ll see if there’s any more twists left in this one.

Jase Mathews – Auburn

Rivals Industry Ranking: No. 83
The Skinny: If the aforementioned Womack was the main course for Auburn’s class in August, Jase Mathews was one heck of an appetizer with his commitment to the Tigers. Despite a lot of recruiting headwinds, Hugh Freeze and Marcus Davis continued to press the right buttons with Mathews. LSU put up a dogged fight, and was at one point thought to be inching ahead of Auburn. But the Tigers have made some strong efforts in the state of Mississippi that look to be paying off.

Deuce Geralds – LSU

Rivals Industry Ranking: No. 93
The Skinny: August wasn’t exactly a banner month on the trail for the Bayou Bengals. In addition to losing out on top targets Darius Gray and Jase Mathews, the Tigers saw their top commitment in the class flip to another school for the third time in two years. First Dakorien Moore, then Bryce Underwood and now Tristen Keys. In the midst of all that, they desperately needed some good news and got it in the form of Deuce Geralds. The 6-foot-1, 270-pounder chose the Tigers over Ohio State, Oregon and others, and he adds to arguably the best defensive line class in the country this cycle.