How much did the college coaching carousel impact Florida recruiting?

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The college football coaching carousel started spinning in mid-September … and it still hasn't stopped.

Florida footbal fired Billy Napier and recently settled on former Tulane coach Jon Sumrall as his replacement.

LSU, Penn State and Auburn were among the programs that also made fired their coaches during the season. Other schools, including Ole Miss, USF and Memphis were left looking for a replacement after their coach left for greener pastures.

And every coaching change has an undeniable ripple effect on the recruiting landscape.

Four-star recruits Johnnie Jones and DeAnthony Lafayette were among the Florida players who decommitted in the wake of a coaching change. Several other players on the USA TODAY Florida Network top 100 switched their plans after the coach they committed to was fired.

Here's a timeline of some of the major coaching changes and how it impacted recruiting in Florida:

September

Sept. 14: UCLA fires coach DeShaun Foster after a 5-10 record over two seasons. Before he was fired, Foster had commitments from four Florida players, including four-star offensive linemen Micah "Champ" Smith (Vero Beach) and Johnnie Jones (Venice). It was an impressive haul, especially since UCLA had not signed a Florida high schooler since Buchholz edge rusher Noah Keeter in 2019.

Sept. 14: Within a few hours of Foster's firing, Jones decommits from UCLA. He committed to Missouri on Oct. 11.

Sept. 28: Arkansas fires coach Sam Pittman after a 32-34 record over six seasons. Before he was fired, Arkansas had commitments from two Florida players — Gadsden County linebacker/safety Daylen Green and Chaminade-Madonna offensive tackle Ashley Walker.

Sept. 29: Vero Beach wide receiver Xavier Stinson and Flanagan wide receiver Santana Carlos decommit from UCLA. Stinson committed to Iowa on Nov. 17. Carlos currently is uncommitted.

October

Oct. 12: Penn State fires James Franklin after a 104-45 record over 12 seasons. Penn State didn't have any Florida recruits in its class, which is a rarity considering at least two Florida players signed with the Nittany Lions each of the past four years. Delaware defensive tackle Isaac Chukwurah flipped from Penn State to Miami on Nov. 11. In total, 23 players from decommitted form Penn State, while five players remain committed in the 2026 class.

Oct. 19: Florida fires Billy Napier after a 22-23 record over four seasons. When he was fired, Florida had 19 commits, including 10 in-state commitments. The Gators have had just one player — Georgia running back Carysn Baker — decommit after Napier's firing, a testament to the hard work of interim coach Billy Gonzales.

Oct. 26: LSU fires Brian Kelly after a 34-14 record over four seasons. When he was fired, LSU had had commitments from two Florida edge rushers — Pine Forest's Trenton Henderson and Lake Nona's DeAnthony Lafayette.

November

Nov. 3: Gadsden County linebacker/safety Daylen Green flips from Arkansas to Florida State.

Nov. 9: Lake Nona edge rusher DeAnthony Lafayette decommits from LSU. Lafayette committed to Miami on Nov. 10.

Nov. 26: Former UConn coach Jim Mora is hired as the new coach at Colorado State. Before leaving UConn, the Huskies had commitments from five Florida players, including Auburndale edge rusher James Tilus and Edgewater athlete Damian Moore.

Nov. 26: Armwood defensive back Kallen Martinez decommits from UConn. Martinez currently is uncommitted.

Nov. 30: USF coach Alex Golesh hired at Auburn. Before leaving USF, the Bulls had 30 players committed (17 in-state commitments). Since Golesh left the Bulls, five players have decommitted including Key West defensive tackle Noah Mercer. Several others, including Lakeland safety CJ Cresser, have reopened their recruiting.

December

Dec. 1: Edgewater QB Carter Emanuel and Lake Gibson cornerback Cason Dash decommit from UConn. Both players currently are uncommitted.

Dec. 1: Chaminade-Madonna offensive tackle Ashley Walker decommits from Arkansas. Walker currently is uncommitted.

This article originally appeared on Sarasota Herald-Tribune: How college football coaching carousel impacted Florida recruits

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