The biggest college football recruiting flips in recent history

No recruitment is ever over until pen hits paper — and even that isn’t always the case anymore. The football recruiting world is as cutthroat as ever, but there’s long been drama on the trail in the lead-up to National Signing Day.

Every cycle is usually due for a monumental college decision or two that can seriously alter the course of careers and programs. Plenty of football’s top players across recent history at one point flipped their college commitment.

On3 takes a look at some of the biggest recruiting flips across the last 13 cycles:

QB Bryce Young: USC to Alabama

Cycle: 2020
High School: Santa Ana (Calif.) Mater Dei

Before making his mark as one of the top quarterbacks in Alabama history, Bryce Young was originally set to stay in the Golden State and play for USC. He pledged to the Trojans in the summer of 2018 and remained committed for well over a year, but the appeal of playing under Nick Saban in Tuscaloosa, coupled with changes in Los Angeles, led to his flip in September of 2019.

He signed with the Tide and took the reins as the team’s starter in 2021, where he went on to win the Heisman Trophy, throwing for over 4,800 yards and 47 touchdowns to seven interceptions. He coupled that with a junior campaign that saw over 3,300 passing yards and 32 TDs. Alabama won 24 games across the 2021 and 2022 seasons.

The Carolina Panthers then selected Young with the first pick of the 2023 NFL Draft. Across his first two seasons, Young has played in 30 games and made 28 starts, winning six games, throwing 26 TDs to 19 INTs.

QB Bryce Underwood: LSU to Michigan

Cycle: 2025
High School: Belleville (Mich.)

While it’s too early to tell how significant Bryce Underwood’s flip to Michigan will be down the road, those in and around Ann Arbor feel they landed the superstar of the future.

The wire-to-wire No. 1 overall prospect in the 2025 cycle, Underwood committed to LSU in January of 2024 and remained rock-solid with the SEC program for nearly the entire year. As signing day neared, though, talks of revamped NIL efforts at U-M led to a swirling rumor mill about keeping Underwood in his home state.

Sure enough, on Nov. 21, Underwood flipped his pledge from the Tigers to the Wolverines. He’s the highest-rated recruit in recent memory, and expectations are that Underwood will make an immediate impact for Sherrone Moore’s program as a true freshman this fall.

CB Jalen Ramsey: USC to Florida State

Cycle: 2013
High School: Brentwood Academy (Tenn.)

USC won out for five-star cornerback Jalen Ramsey during July of 2012. He continued to visit other schools after the fact but looked to be locked in with the Trojans. That was until defensive coordinator Monte Kiffin resigned following a miserable season in Los Angeles. On Feb. 4, Ramsey flipped to Florida State, ultimately choosing the Seminoles over Florida.

Across three seasons in Tallahassee, Ramsey tallied 180 total tackles, 23 pass deflections and three interceptions in 41 games. He was the No. 5 pick in 2016 NFL Draft by the Jacksonville Jaguars and has now completed nine seasons in the league as one of the most notable defensive backs in football. He’s acquired 534 total tackles and 24 interceptions, landed All-Pro three times, seven Pro Bowls and won a Super Bowl with the Los Angeles Rams in 2022.

LB Reuben Foster: Alabama to Auburn to Alabama

Cycle: 2013
High School: Auburn (Ala.)

Reuben Foster’s recruitment has gone down as a notorious in-state battle, one that took the term “inking” to a whole new level. The Auburn High linebacker originally committed to Alabama in July of 2011. After some usual heated recruiting, Foster flipped to the Tigers a year later. He then commemorated that decision by getting the Auburn logo tattooed on his arm.

That was before AU head coach Gene Chizik and lead recruiter Trooper Taylor were fired, though. Following the staff changes, Foster reopened things, decommitted from the Tigers in January of 2013 and signed with Alabama in February.

Foster then put together an impressive four-year career in Tuscaloosa, capped off by winning a National Championship in 2015 and the Dick Butkus Award as a senior in 2016. After his 115-tackle campaign as a senior, Foster finished his Bama career with 222 total tackles. He was then selected No. 31 overall by the San Fransisco 49ers, but injuries and suspensions limited him to 16 career games.

RB Dalvin Cook: Clemson to Florida to Florida State

Cycle: 2014
High School: Miami Central (Fla.)

It was Clemson which first landed a commitment from five-star running back Dalvin Cook, pulling him out of the Sunshine State. That ultimately didn’t stick, as he opted to stay home in April of 2013 and flip to the Florida Gators. He continued to keep Florida State, warm, too.

Eventually, as the Seminoles were National Championship-hunting and riding high above their Sunshine State rival, Cook flipped to FSU in December and proceeded to sign with the in-state ACC program. In his three seasons in Tallahassee, Cook totaled over 5,300 yards from scrimmage and 48 total touchdowns. He earned All-American honors as a junior in 2016 after rushing for over 1,700 yards.

Drafted in the second round of the 2017 NFL Draft by the Minnesota Vikings, Cook made four consecutive Pro Bowls from 2019-22 but has made just two starts since. He’s rushed for over 6,200 yards and 47 touchdowns across eight seasons.

RB Saquon Barkley: Rutgers to Penn State

Cycle: 2015
High School: Whitehall (Pa.)

Saquon Barkley was enamored with Rutgers, giving it the “dream school” label as it began recruiting him. He pledged and stayed locked in with the Scarlet Knights for seven months. Then came an offer from Penn State and new head coach James Franklin. Barkley visited Happy Valley for a junior day in February of 2014 and flipped less than a week later.

Barkley then proceeded to shred Rutgers and any other defense that stood in his way across his three seasons at PSU. He tallied 51 touchdowns, just over 5,000 total yards and was a Heisman Trophy finalist as a junior in 2017 following a 21-TD campaign. He headed to the NFL as one of the top Big Ten burners in recent memory.

The New York Giants selected Barkley with the second-overall pick in the 2018 NFL Draft. He won a Super Bowl with the Philadelphia Eagles this year and has already stacked accolades, including Offensive Rookie of the Year, three Pro Bowls and one All-Pro nomination this past season.

RB Cam Akers: Alabama to Florida State

Cycle: 2017
High School: Clinton (Miss.)

One of the most prominent prospects to come out of Mississippi in some time, Cam Akers was committed to Alabama for more than half a year during his junior season at Clinton. In March of 2016, he decommitted on the same day that touted quarterback recruit Jake Fromm flipped from Bama to Georgia. Florida State then emerged as a frontrunner and won out for his pledge in December. Akers and Najee Harris went back and forth for the nod as top running back in the 2017 cycle. Harris of course went on to sign with Alabama.

Across three seasons at FSU, Akers tallied 34 touchdowns and more than 3,300 yards from scrimmage. The LA Rams then selected him with the No. 52 pick in the 2020 NFL Draft. Battling through injuries, Akers has now played in parts of five seasons, making 17 starts and totaling 17 touchdowns. He also won a Super Bowl with the Rams in 2022.

WR Ja’Marr Chase: Kansas to Florida to LSU

Cycle: 2018
High School: Metairie (La.) Archbishop Rummel

Ja’Marr Chase’s recruitment was a whirlwind. His original commitment to Kansas in February of 2017 barely made it a week before he came back on the board. He committed to Florida five months later, but a pledge to TCU was also in the cards before then. He planned to announce his decision on-air at the 2017 Opening Finals, but the broadcast ran out of time and didn’t get to his segment.

That commitment to the Horned Frogs was never announced. He chose the Gators in July, but that didn’t stick, either. It then came down to either LSU or Auburn, with the home-state school finally winning out, landing Chase’s signature.

Of course, LSU was then elated as Chase gave Baton Rouge an electric sophomore season and was a part of the legendary 2019 National Championship team. He caught 84 passes for 1,780 yards and 20 touchdowns. The Cincinnati Bengals then reunited him with QB Joe Burrow, selecting him with the No. 5 pick in the 2021 NFL Draft. He’s made a Pro Bowl in each of his first four seasons, with 2024 being his best to date, catching 127 passes for over 1,700 yards and 17 TDs.

QB Quinn Ewers: Texas to Ohio State

Cycle: 2021
High School: Southlake Carroll (Texas)

Quinn Ewers announced a commitment to Tom Herman and Texas in the summer of 2020. The No. 1 prospect in the cycle, Ewers was originally set to stay home and play for the Longhorns. Ohio State was also a finalist for his pledge, though, and the Buckeyes continued to push after his initial commitment. They were rewarded in November, as he flipped before reclassifying up a cycle and made his way to Columbus.

All roads led to Austin in the end, though. Ewers transferred to Texas after one season at Ohio State and proceeded to throw for over 9,000 yards and 68 TDs across three seasons as a Longhorn. He made his mark on The Forty Acres and took Texas to a College Football Playoff semifinal last season. Ewers is now headed to the NFL Draft. Various mock drafts tab the 6-foot-3 signal-caller as a second-round pick.

ATH Travis Hunter: Florida State to Jackson State

Cycle: 2022
High School: Suwanee (Ga.) Collins Hill

Florida State managed to land a March commitment from Travis Hunter in 2020 when he was still an unranked prospect. That pledge held strong for more than 21 months as his stock continued to grow throughout his senior season. On Dec. 15, 2021, though, Hunter shook up the college football world, making the unprecedented decision to flip from the Seminoles to play for Deion Sanders at Jackson State.

That decision of course paid off, as Hunter transferred to Colorado to stay under Sanders in 2023. He then took college football by storm, racking up 1,979 receiving yards and 20 TDs, as well as 66 tackles and seven INTs across his two years in Boulder. His 2024 season culminated with multiple awards, none greater than the Heisman Trophy. Hunter is now expected to be a top-five pick in the 2025 NFL Draft.