There was no shortage of drama surrounding some of the most high-profile recruitments in the 2026 cycle.
Of the top 100 overall prospects in the cycle, according to the Rivals Industry Ranking, 21 committed to multiple programs throughout their recruitments. That includes five five-star prospects.
From the nation’s No. 1 passer to an elite pass-catcher and EDGE rusher, there were some major flips throughout the summer and fall. Below is a look at the top 10 flips in the 2026 cycle:
Five-Star Plus+ QB Jared Curtis — Vanderbilt
School: Nashville Christian
Rivals Industry Ranking: No. 3 NATL. (No. 1 QB)
Georgia had landed Curtis’ commitment on two separate occasions, but it couldn’t ultimately sign the elite signal-caller. Vanderbilt, the local program, began to pick up steam in Curtis’ recruitment this fall. He was on campus multiple times, and the rise of the program, along with the chance to see the field early, played major roles in his decision. Rivals first reported on Dec. 2, the day before National Signing Day, that Curtis was flipping to the Commodores. He’s now signed with Clark Lea and Co. and is poised to make his mark as a hometown hero for Vandy.
5-star WR Tristen Keys — Tennessee
School: Hattiesburg (Miss.)
Rivals Industry Ranking: No. 11 NATL. (No. 2 WR)
Back in March, Keys made a surprise commitment to LSU. The Tigers had been in the mix, but Keys didn’t alert that a decision was en route until he came off the board. That stuck for five months, but the buzz around his pledge began to shift toward Knoxville in the summer. Keys is an Adidas athlete, which played a big role in Tennessee’s push on the NIL front. He’d also been courted by the UT staff for some time. Once he flipped in August, he locked in and is now signed and set to head to Rocky Top, where he’ll likely make an immediate impact in 2026.
5-star EDGE Richard Wesley — Texas
School: Sierra Canyon (Calif.)
Rivals Industry Ranking: No. 13 NATL. (No. 4 EDGE)
Wesley went viral in May as he committed to Oregon while jumping into a pool with Ducks head coach Dan Lanning. That commitment lasted less than a month, as Wesley backed off on May 27. After taking some official visits, Wesley chose Texas on June 22. The Longhorns quickly began to trend once he came back on the board, and once he committed, his recruitment was surprisingly quiet the rest of the way. Steve Sarkisian continues to recruit the Golden State well and Wesley is next in line to make the move from California to Austin.
5-star LB Xavier Griffin — Alabama
School: Gainesville (Ga.)
Rivals Industry Ranking: No. 20 NATL. (No. 2 LB)
USC signed the top-ranked class this cycle, and Griffin was one of the big early gets for the Trojans back in July of 2024. That pledge lasted around 10 months, but USC and the linebacker parted ways as Griffin wanted to keep looking at other options. Texas and Ohio State were also in the mix this summer, but Alabama began to gain momentum before Griffin decommitted from USC and it kept the foot on the gas from there. Griffin chose the Crimson Tide at the end of June and is one of three five-star signees for Kalen DeBoer and Co.
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5-star OT Kodi Greene — Washington
School: Mater Dei (Calif.)
Rivals Industry Ranking: No. 25 NATL. (No. 4 OT)
Oregon recruits California and the Pacific Northwest incredibly well and it struck first with Greene, landing his commitment early in August of 2024. Playing for an elite high school football program that’s sent a slew of stars to Eugene, it looked like Greene would stay locked in with the Ducks. Washington was always involved with the tackle, though. He hails from the Evergreen State and began his high school career in Washington. On April 24, he flipped from Oregon to the Huskies. The Ducks tried to get him back in the fold this fall, but Greene has now signed with UW and will be a plug-and-play OL in 2026.
4-star S Bralan Womack — Mississippi State
School: Hartfield Academy (Miss.)
Rivals Industry Ranking: No. 35 NATL. (No. 4 S)
Womack took his time with making a college decision, but he eventually landed on Auburn at the end of August. The Tigers beat out Florida, Ohio State and Texas A&M at the time. But as AU struggled mightily once again this fall, Hugh Freeze was fired and many recruits to began to take another look at their options. During rivalry week, Womack was in Starkville to watch in-state Mississippi State take on Ole Miss in the Egg Bowl. While not often mentioned throughout Womack’s recruitment, the Bulldogs swung the momentum in their favor late and pulled off the massive flip on Dec. 1. Womack signed with MSU and is the headliner of their 2026 class.
4-star CB Jay Timmons — Ohio State
School: Pine-Richland (Pa.)
Rivals Industry Ranking: No. 42 NATL. (No. 5 CB)
Timmons’ stock went on a meteoric rise this year. He originally committed to Indiana as a three-star prospect in April. The son of former NFL linebacker Lawrence Timmons, Jay became a prized legacy target for Florida State in the summer. As he obtained blue-chip status, he flipped to the Seminoles. Pulling him away from FSU was going to be hard, but a September offer from Ohio State piqued his interest. He set an official visit to Columbus late in the season, and as FSU floundered, the Buckeyes flourished. Timmons flipped to OSU on Nov. 6 and has now signed with the Big Ten juggernaut. Per the Rivals300, Timmons is now the No. 12 overall recruit and top-ranked corner in the nation.
4-star ATH Salesi Moa — Utah
School: Fremont (Utah)
Rivals Industry Ranking: No. 54 NATL. (No. 2 ATH)
Moa kept a lowkey recruitment heading into his college decision at the end of July. Utah and Tennessee were the frontrunners, but it was the Vols that won out at the time. There wasn’t much buzz surrounding a flip in the fall, though Michigan was a program that looked to be pushing hard. Utah never went anywhere either, though. On National Signing Day, the dynamic two-way star flipped to the in-state Utes and signed. He remains locked in despite the departure of longtime head coach Kyle Whittingham. He’ll indeed play offense and defense from the jump in Salt Lake City.
4-star IOL Kevin Brown — West Virginia
School: Harrisburg (Pa.)
Rivals Industry Ranking: No. 60 NATL. (No. 2 IOL)
Brown made his first college choice very early on, committing to Penn State in July of 2024. That pledge was rock-solid, as Brown was set on heading to Happy Valley. That was until PSU’s season took a quick nosedive and it fired longtime head coach James Franklin. Like just about every other commit in the class, Brown began to look elsewhere. It came down to Ohio State and West Virginia, but the Mountaineers stuck out. His father played in Morgantown and Brown is ready to do the same. He’s the top-ranked signee for WVU and could make an early impact for Rich Rodriguez and Co.
4-star WR Jase Mathews — Ole Miss
School: Greene County (Miss.)
Rivals Industry Ranking: No. 64 NATL. (No. 9 WR)
Mathews’ recruitment is a similar story to Womack’s. Under Freeze, Auburn made some serious strides with its Mississippi pipeline and that helped it land Mathews’ commitment over Ole Miss, LSU and Texas A&M back in August. LSU made a big push down the stretch, but Ole Miss never wavered, even with the departure of Lane Kiffin. Like Womack, Mathews ultimately opted to stay in the Magnolia State. He flipped to the Rebels at the end of the National Signing Period on Dec. 5 and is the class jewel for Pete Golding and the new Ole Miss staff.