Whether college football coaches are ready or not, the early signing period is only two months away. The tumultuous few weeks prior to the signing period can result in decommitments, wavering decisions and flips that can change the course of the recruiting class and the future roster.
It's always difficult to measure the impact of losing a commitment, or of gaining a recruit from a flip, because anything can happen once the player gets to college.
But history indicates the decisions recruits make during their recruitment can have a big impact on multiple schools. That ripple effect is usually felt more at quarterback because of the importance of the position.
We have seen flips and decommitments in the past from some of the top quarterbacks that are now affecting this season for multiple teams. Here is a look at some of the top quarterbacks that altered the trajectory of multiple programs by changing their commitments in high school.
When Mack Brown was hired at North Carolina, he almost immediately started recruiting Sam Howell, who was then committed to Florida State in the 2019 class.
Howell was the No. 3 recruit in North Carolina. Brown made it a point to try to keep the top in-state recruits at home, and he started with Howell, the No. 120-ranked prospect overall.
Brown's new offensive coordinator, Phil Longo, had recruited Howell when Longo was coaching at Ole Miss, so there was already a relationship between the two. That level of comfort helped Brown in his pursuit, and it sealed the deal when Brown was able to get in front of Howell and his family in person.