National Signing Day is a bit closer than you probably think this year, as the college football powers that be voted to move the early signing period to immediately after the regular season. This year is also shaping up to be one of the craziest recruiting cycles in modern college football, with plenty of high-profile recruits who could change their commitments down the stretch.
Here, we’ll take a look at the top 10 “flip watch” situations we’re tracking. Rather than simply being a list of the 10 highest-rated recruits who could flip, we’re ranking these guys based on the overall impact not only on the team they may flip to but the team they would be leaving. So, here are the top 10 players on “flip watch” before Early Signing Day.
Recruiting Rumors: Deuce Knight Headlines Top 10 Players on Flip Watch
10) Na’eem Offord | CB, Ohio State Commit
We know that Na’eem Offord probably isn’t ending up in Columbus, Ohio, but if not part of the Ohio State Buckeyes’ class, then who will land the top-20 recruit?
The Auburn Tigers and Oregon Ducks are contenders for the A. H. Parker High School (Alabama) corner, but the Florida Gators might have the late momentum. All three of those teams could use some good news on the recruiting trail.
9) Lamont Rogers | OT, Missouri Commit
The Missouri Tigers have a solid recruiting class, but it’s fairly top-heavy, so losing their best recruit would certainly sting. Add that the Tigers lose a ton of talent from this year’s team, and keeping Lamont Rogers in the class becomes that much more important.
The Texas A&M Aggies are making a run here, and the Tigers do not want to let him go. Getting Rogers would be a huge win for Mike Elko, who hasn’t historically been the best recruiter.
8) Jaime Ffrench | WR, Texas Commit
Jaime Ffrench has had an interesting recruitment full of twists and turns, but things seemed to calm a bit once he committed to the Texas Longhorns.
MORE: Simulate the College Football Season with CFN’s College Football Playoff Predictor
However, his quarterback at Mandarin High School in Florida, Tramell Jones Jr., flipped to the Gators from the Florida State Seminoles, and all of a sudden the Gators are back in it with the five-star receiver.
He’s visiting The Swamp this weekend. Can the Gators pull off another flip?
7) Jared Smith | Edge, Auburn Commit
The Tigers’ recruiting class looks great right now, but they’re fighting for their lives trying to hold onto their two top recruits. Jared Smith chose Auburn over the South Carolina Gamecocks in early August, but the Gamecocks haven’t given up the pursuit.
South Carolina’s strong season, especially at the edge position, certainly hasn’t hurt the Gamecocks’ chances, and Smith could be the next premier pass rusher in Columbia, S.C.
If he flips, it’s a huge blow to the Tigers, who need to recruit their way out of a rut and can’t afford to lose their top recruits in the 2025 class. Don’t count out the Ole Miss Rebels in this one either.
6) Jaron-Keawe Sagapolutele | QB, Cal Commit
It’s not often that we see the California Golden Bears on these types of high-profile recruiting articles, which is the exact reason Jaron-Keawe Sagapolutele is such an important commit. He’s visiting Cal again this weekend amid some rumored Oregon Ducks momentum.
He’s visiting the Georgia Bulldogs next weekend, and they can’t be ruled out, especially as they turn up the heat after missing on several other high-profile quarterbacks. Can Cal keep him in its class?
5) Michael Carroll | IOL, Alabama Commit
Deion Sanders and the Colorado Buffaloes went down to Florida powerhouse IMG Academy to recruit now-starting left tackle Jordan Seaton last season and are looking to flip another huge lineman from the school in 2025.
Getting Michael Carroll in the boat would be a massive win at a position of need for the Buffaloes and signals that the talent in Boulder, Colo., will continue beyond the Shedeur Sanders-Travis Hunter era.
On the Alabama Crimson Tide’s side of things, we all know Kalen DeBoer can coach, but he’s never recruited at a high level, perhaps because of the types of schools at which he’s previously coached. If DeBoer can finish down the stretch in the 2025 class, it would signal that he can recruit well enough to be a contender in the SEC.
4) Dallas Wilson | WR, Oregon Commit
If Dallas Wilson opts to stay closer to home and keep his commitment to the Oregon Ducks, I think the best team in the Pacific Northwest will be fine. This one would mark a huge win for Florida though; the Gators are building some positive momentum on the recruiting trail and flipping Wilson would be huge for Florida’s future plans.
3) DJ Pickett | CB, LSU Commit
The LSU Tigers looked to be on track to have one of the best recruiting classes ever just six months ago, but now it’s in danger of unraveling. The Tigers have already lost their top two commits, Dakorien Moore and Bryce Underwood, and could be in danger of losing several others, including DJ Pickett, considered their best-remaining prospect, per On3’s Industry Rankings.
Miami, Florida, and Georgia are all hounding the five-star corner; at this time, it looks like he is on his way out the door in Baton Rouge, La.
The Brian Kelly shine has worn off, and if this recruiting class falls apart, there’s a chance he won’t get the chance to fix it.
2) Michael Fasusi | OT, Oklahoma Commit
I’ve listed Michael Fasusi as an Oklahoma Sooners commit, but head coach Brent Venables apparently doesn’t think so, as he’s taken the Dabo Swinney model of not allowing commitments to visit other schools. That must mean that Fasusi, who has visits scheduled to Texas and Texas A&M in the next two weeks, isn’t considered to be committed, at least in the eyes of the Oklahoma staff.
FREE: Sign up for the College Football Network Newsletter to receive unique stories from the world of college football directly to your inbox!
Oklahoma’s offensive line has been awful this season, mainly because it’s constructed almost entirely by transfers. Missing on Fasusi, a guy who could potentially come in and play early, would be a huge blow to Oklahoma’s attempts to right the ship next season.
1) Deuce Knight | QB, Auburn Commit
If you’re a believer in the butterfly effect, this one could cause some crazy ripples in the future. Quarterback Deuce Knight was committed to the Notre Dame Fighting Irish for a long time before flipping to Auburn, possibly because Hugh Freeze may have applied tremendous pressure to some top recruits to commit early to the Tigers or risk losing their spot.
Sources have indicated that Freeze wanted to get some positive momentum for the program while the Tigers were mired in a 2-3 start when Knight (and a couple of others) committed. The strategy from Freeze would only make sense if the Tigers had been able to pull themselves out of the muck and end the season on a high note. Now, Auburn needs to win against Texas A&M and Alabama just to make a bowl game.
Ole Miss is coming hard at Knight, and should he commit to the in-state program, it would deal a huge blow to Freeze’s chances of surviving at Auburn.
College Football Network has you covered with the latest from the ACC, Big Ten, Big 12, SEC, and every Group of Five conference and FBS Independent program.