10 biggest recruiting flips in college football over the last decade

College Football

Updated Jul. 11, 2024 4:29 p.m. ET

With a 2025 recruiting class that ranked in the mid-50s (according to 247Sports Composite rankings) heading into this summer, first-year Michigan head coach Sherrone Moore needed a big boost to his class to help push it in the right direction.

Mission accomplished.

Moore and the Wolverines have landed 10 verbal pledges in the 2025 class over the past month, which included a massive victory earlier this week after flipping four-star defensive back Ivan Taylor from Notre Dame.

Taylor, who is the No. 54-ranked prospect in the nation and the sixth-ranked safety in the 2025 class, had been committed to the Fighting Irish since December 2023, and was viewed as the crown jewel of Marcus Freeman’s 2025 class.

While the news of Taylor’s commitment to the Wolverines made headlines across the college football news cycle on Monday, the idea of a recruit flipping his verbal commitment from one school to another is nothing new. In fact, there have been plenty of highly-touted prospects who had originally committed to one school and then made the decision to switch to another.

Here is a look at 10 notable players over the past decade who have flipped their commitment from one school to another:

Dalvin Cook: Clemson to Florida to Florida State (Class of 2014)

One of the most accomplished running backs in recent memory, Cook enjoyed a standout three-year career at Florida State, but the Seminoles were not always his top pick. Early on in his recruitment, Cook made a verbal pledge to Clemson, where he was set to join Deshaun Watson as a member of the Tigers‘ 2014 recruiting class. However, the former five-star running back prospect decided to head to Gainesville and visit the University of Florida for the Gators’ annual spring game and made the decision to flip to UF. After the Gators finished the 2013 season with a miserable 4-8 record, including a 37-7 loss to in-state rival Florida State in the final game of the regular season, Cook flipped to the Seminoles in December 2013 and enrolled there the following week.

Cook shined at Florida State from 2014-16, rushing for 1,000-plus yards in all three of his collegiate seasons. He finished his college career with 4,464 rushing yards and 46 rushing touchdowns, while also adding 79 catches for 935 yards and two more touchdowns through the air. He was a two-time All-ACC performer and a two-time first-team All-American. Cook opted to forgo his senior season, leaving Florida State as the program’s all-time leading rusher.

Saquon Barkley: Rutgers to Penn State (Class of 2015)

Barkley emerged as one of the best big-game players in college football during his time at Penn State, but he might not have had the chance to play in as many big games if he honored his original commitment. Barkley, who spent most of his childhood in Eastern Pennsylvania, initially committed to Rutgers before flipping to Penn State in February 2014. Rutgers was in its first few seasons as a member of the Big Ten and struggled during the years Barkley was in Happy Valley, going 10-26 over those three seasons. Of course, Barkley could’ve provided a spark for Rutgers if he opted to spend his college years in New Jersey.

Instead, Barkley helped revive Penn State as a contender in the Big Ten. He made an impact right away, rushing for 1,076 yards in 11 games as a true freshman. That included a 194-yard performance against top-ranked Ohio State. He followed that up by rushing for 1,496 yards and 18 touchdowns in 2016, adding 402 receiving yards and four receiving touchdowns. He rushed for 99 yards on just 12 carries in Penn State’s monumental upset over Ohio State that season before putting up 249 yards of total offense in its loss to USC in the Rose Bowl. Barkley had another stellar season in 2017, rushing for 1,271 yards and 18 touchdowns to go with 632 receiving yards and three receiving touchdowns. He was a consensus All-American that year, winning the Paul Hornung Award as the nation’s most versatile player and the Big Ten MVP award for the second straight season.

Saquon Barkley cuts through the Buckeyes’ defense for a 37-yard TD

Jake Fromm: Alabama to Georgia (Class of 2017)

Fromm, a four-star quarterback out of Warner Robins, Georgia, grew up a massive Bulldogs fan. After not receiving an offer from Georgia early on in his high school career, Fromm committed to the University of Alabama midway through his junior season. He remained committed to Nick Saban and the Crimson Tide well into his senior season, but when an offer from Georgia arrived, it was near impossible for the lifelong Dawgs fan to turn it down.

Had he remained committed to Alabama, Fromm would have been a member of a class that included the likes of Najee Harris, Jerry Jeudy and DeVonta Smith. Instead, Fromm flipped to Georgia and enjoyed a standout three-year career at UGA, throwing for more than 7,200 yards and 78 touchdowns while helping lead the Bulldogs to a combined 36-7 record, which included an SEC championship and a spot in the 2018 CFP National Championship Game, where they lost to … Alabama.

Cam Akers: Alabama to Florida State (Class of 2017)

All eyes were on Akers coming out of high school and what the five-star running back would do with his college commitment. Growing up in Clinton, Mississippi, Akers developed into one of the top-ranked prospects in the country. He committed to Alabama for a lengthy seven months during his junior year of high school before flipping his commitment to ACC powerhouse Florida State in December 2016.

While Akers ended up at FSU, fellow standout 2017 running back Najee Harris elected to head to Tuscaloosa to join Nick Saban and the Crimson Tide. Akers enjoyed a standout three-year career at Florida State, finishing with 2,875 career rushing yards, which ranked sixth all time in program history. Akers also added 27 rushing touchdowns during his time at FSU, including 14 during his junior season.

Akers elected to skip his senior season and enter the 2020 NFL Draft, where he was a second-round pick.

Jonathan Taylor: Rutgers to Wisconsin (Class of 2017)

Taylor finished his college career as one of the most productive running backs in Wisconsin history, but he wasn’t always destined to be a Badger. The now Indianapolis Colts running back committed to Rutgers in May 2016. He remained committed to his hometown school for six months before eventually flipping his commitment to Wisconsin in November.

Taylor enjoyed a record-setting career in Madison, rushing for 6,174 yards and 50 touchdowns in three seasons, becoming the first running back in NCAA history to rush for more than 6,000 yards in a three-year span. He was a two-time unanimous All-American and a two-time Doak Walker Award winner, given to the top running back in college football. Taylor was drafted 41st overall by the Colts in the 2020 NFL Draft and has developed into one of the best running backs in the NFL.

Watch Jonathan Taylor’s highlights vs. Michigan & postgame interview

Justin Fields: Penn State to Georgia (Class of 2018)

The 2018 recruiting class featured a battle for the No. 1 spot between Trevor Lawrence and Fields. While Lawrence stuck with his original pledge to play at Clemson, Fields initially opted to commit to Penn State. Fields’ relationship with then-Penn State offensive coordinator Joe Moorhead played a large role in his initial commitment. Once Moorhead’s name began to emerge among potential coaching vacancies, Fields made the decision to decommit from Penn State in June 2017 and then announced his commitment to Kirby Smart and the Georgia Bulldogs in October of that year.

Fields backed up Fromm during his freshman season, appearing in 12 games and completing 27 of 39 pass attempts for 328 yards and four touchdowns, while also adding 266 yards and four scores on the ground. Had he stayed at Georgia, Bulldogs fans might have had the opportunity to see Fields play in an offense featuring the likes of D’Andre Swift, Zamir White and George Pickens.

Instead, Fields made the decision to transfer to Ohio State following his freshman campaign and went on to enjoy two standout seasons in Columbus, totaling more than 5,300 yards and 63 touchdowns through the air, in addition to adding 867 yards and 15 touchdowns on the ground. Fields was the Big Ten’s Offensive Player of the Year both years he was at Ohio State, and he was a second-team All-American in 2019. He led the Buckeyes to the College Football Playoff National Championship in 2020, where they fell to Alabama, 52-24. Fields entered the 2021 NFL Draft, where he was the No. 11 overall pick by the Chicago Bears.

Justin Fields returns from injury to throw a 30-yard strike to Garrett Wilson

Ja’Marr Chase: Kansas to Florida to LSU (Class of 2018)

Before choosing to play college ball with the top team in his home state, Chase made multiple commitments to other schools and was on the precipice of committing to a third. He initially committed to Kansas in February 2017, but decommitted shortly after. He also committed to Florida in July 2017.

In between his commitments to Kansas and Florida, Chase was also set to commit to TCU. He was reportedly scheduled to announce his commitment to TCU at the 2017 Opening Finals, but at the last minute, producers of the event let another prospect’s time on the air spill into the segment that Chase was supposed to use to announce he was going to be a Horned Frog. Chase never committed to TCU as a result. While he could’ve eventually formed a top QB-WR tandem with Kyle Trask at Florida, Chase re-opened his commitment again. He eventually committed to LSU in February 2018, picking the Tigers over Auburn.

Chase’s decision helped LSU have one of the best offensive seasons in the history of the sport and win a national title in 2019. He had 84 receptions for 1,780 yards and 20 touchdowns that year, a season so good that he didn’t need to play in 2020 to boost his draft stock.

Bryce Young: USC to Alabama (Class of 2020)

Young was the consensus top-ranked QB prospect in the 2020 recruiting class. The former Mater Dei star committed to USC back in July 2018, pledging to play for Clay Helton and the Trojans. The following summer, Young took a visit to USC ahead of the 2019 campaign and ultimately made the decision to decommit from the Trojans and commit to Nick Saban and the Alabama Crimson Tide in September 2019.

If Young made the decision to stay at USC, he would have had the chance to throw to a receiving group that included future NFL standouts Drake London and Amon-Ra St. Brown. Instead, Young had the opportunity to target the likes of Jameson Williams, John Metchie, Brian Robinson Jr. and Jahmyr Gibbs during his time in Tuscaloosa.

Young’s sophomore season was one of the greatest individual seasons by a college quarterback in recent memory, finishing with 4,872 yards and 47 passing touchdowns while leading the Crimson Tide to a 12-1 season and a spot in the College Football Playoff. Young and the Crimson Tide defeated Cincinnati in the Cotton Bowl before falling to SEC rival Georgia in the CFP National Championship Game. Young won the Heisman Trophy that season, becoming the first Alabama quarterback to win the award.

Quinn Ewers: Texas to Ohio State (Class of 2021)

The world of college recruiting can be a funny thing. Every so often, there is a player who commits somewhere, decommits, and then ends up at that original school via the transfer portal. That is exactly what happened to 2024 Heisman hopeful Quinn Ewers, who initially committed to Texas back in August 2020 before decommitting just over two months later and eventually signing with Ohio State. After one year at Ohio State, Ewers made the decision to transfer back to the school he originally committed to – the University of Texas.

Since transferring to Texas in 2021, Ewers has seen his collegiate career take off. Had he stayed at Ohio State, Ewers would have had the opportunity to surround himself with stars on the offensive side of the ball, including the likes of Marvin Harrison Jr. and Emeka Egbuka, but instead, he found great success at his hometown school.

Texas’ Quinn Ewers and Ohio State’s Will Howard headline the list of QB’s with the most to prove!

This past year, the talented signal-caller threw for 3,479 yards and 22 touchdowns while helping lead the Longhorns to a 12-2 record and its first appearance in the College Football Playoff. Ewers enters the 2024 campaign with the second-best odds to take home the Heisman Trophy, currently listed at +800.

.Travis Hunter: Florida State to Jackson State (Class of 2022)

Hunter, a renowned two-way player from Collins Hill High School in Suwanee, Georgia, shocked the college football world when he flipped from Florida State to Jackson State in December 2021. Hunter, who was the consensus top-ranked player in the 2022 recruiting class, chose to join recently-hired head coach Deion Sanders at Jackson State, leading JSU to a 2022 SWAC championship.

When Sanders was named Colorado’s head coach in December 2022, Hunter followed his coach to Boulder and put together an impressive sophomore campaign on both sides of the ball en route to being named a consensus All-American. He recorded 31 tackles and three interceptions on defense, while also catching 57 passes for 721 yards and five touchdowns on offense. Hunter is a preseason Heisman Trophy candidate and is projected to be one of the top selections in the 2025 draft.