Breaking down the biggest flips of the 2027 cycle so far
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The 2027 recruiting cycle has moved at warp speed. There’s already far more committed blue-chip prospects than uncommitted and football season remains weeks away.
December remains the first month that recruits can officially sign, however, so that means flip season won’t be going anywhere. In reality, though, massive flips have been occurring for essentially the entire cycle.
Of the top 100 prospects in the cycle, according to the Rivals Industry Ranking, 11 have already made multiple commitments. That includes a trio of five-stars, two of whom are now locked in with Miami.
Rivals breaks down some of the most impactful flips that have occurred in the 2027 cycle thus far:
Five-Star Plus+ RB Kemon Spell — Georgia
School:McKeesport (Pa.)
Rivals Industry Ranking: No. 7 NATL. (No. 1 RB)
It was Penn State that landed an early in-state commitment from Spell, but once the Big Ten program fired head coach James Franklin back in October, the elite burner was one of many who put his name back on the board. Spell would go on to name numerous leaders and alter his decision timeline frequently, but Georgia was always a top contender. It was a visit to Athens at the end of January that helped seal the deal for the Bulldogs as Spell committed on Feb. 2. He’s remained rock-solid since and is still the nation’s top-ranked running back.
5-star CB Donte Wright — Miami
School:Long Beach Poly (Calif.)
Rivals Industry Ranking: No. 10 NATL. (No. 2 CB)
Georgia won out early for Wright before his junior season last summer. For nearly a year, the Bulldogs held his pledge, but the elite defensive back never stopped giving other schools a look and was open about weighing his options. Oregon and UCLA were charging, but so was Miami. Without warning on May 9, Wright made the switch and flipped to Mario Cristobal and the Hurricanes. He’s since returned for his official visit and has labeled his recruitment as “shut down.”
5-star EDGE Jaiden Bryant — Miami
School:Irmo (S.C.)
Rivals Industry Ranking: No. 24 NATL. (No. 5 EDGE)
Originally a South Carolina lean, Bryant quickly began to trend toward LSU after it hired position coach Sterling Lucas away from the Gamecocks. Bryant committed to Lucas and the Tigers on Jan. 3, kickstarting the Lane Kiffin era in Baton Rouge. The Gamecocks never wavered and were working to flip Bryant this spring and summer, but Miami kept its hat in the ring, too. The Hurricanes had already flipped Wright and had momentum on their side. After getting Bryant back in Coral Gables for an official visit, the ACC program flipped him from LSU on June 3. He too has “shut down” his recruitment heading into his senior season.
4-star OT Cooper Hackett — Oklahoma
School:Fort Gibson (Okla.)
Rivals Industry Ranking: No. 40 NATL. (No. 4 OT)
Texas Tech really started to flex its recruiting muscle last year and that helped it garner an early pledge from Hackett at the end of August. Less than a month later, however, the trench monster surprisingly flipped to Oklahoma. In the end, Hackett opted for where he felt like home, telling Rivals’ Steve Wiltfong that he took “a good chunk less” on the NIL front to flip to the Sooners rather than stick with the Red Raiders. The 6-foot-7, 260-pounder remains one of five top-50 prospects in OU’s top-five class and is actually a five-star in the Rivals300 rankings.
4-star WR Kesean Bowman — Tennessee
School:Brentwood Academy (Tenn.)
Rivals Industry Ranking: No. 65 NATL. (No. 11 WR)
Oregon continues to swing away with touted prospects across the country despite the challenges that often come with its location. Bowman is a great example, as the elite pass-catcher made an early commitment to the Ducks last July but backed off that decision less than two months later so he could continue to explore his options openly. Miami and Ohio State were top contenders this spring, but it ultimately came down to the in-state SEC programs. Vanderbilt looked to have the edge for a while, but Tennessee surged and landed Bowman on March 28. He’s now slowed his process down and is locked in with the Vols.
4-star QB Peter Bourque — Virginia Tech
School:Tabor Academy (Mass.)
Rivals Industry Ranking: No. 77 NATL. (No. 7 QB)
The old staff at Michigan honed in on Bourque and picked up his commitment ahead of his junior season last August. The coveted passer out of the Northeast was firm with his pledge to the Wolverines, but that changed following the stunning firing of head coach Sherrone Moore. As U-M hit the reset button, so did Bourque. He decommitted in February and began to look elsewhere. There were quickly some top contenders in the mix, one of which was Virginia Tech. James Franklin and Danny O’Brien were after Bourque while they were at Penn State and they re-kicked the tires after settling in with the Hokies. The blue-chipper ultimately picked VT over Georgia on May 14. He’s the top-ranked commit in a class that ranks inside the top 20 of the Rivals Industry Team Recruiting Rankings.
4-star DL Ben’Jarvius Shumaker — Ole Miss
School:Choctaw County (Miss.)
Rivals Industry Ranking: No. 78 NATL. (No. 7 DL)
Ole Miss first landed a commitment from Shumaker on March 6. He appeared to be fully locked in with the Rebels, even announcing that his recruitment was “shut down” on June 22. That’s why it was hard for many in Oxford to believe that the lineman had actually flipped to Colorado the following day. Sure enough, it looked like the Buffaloes were going to pull him out of the Magnolia State. Later that night, however, Shumaker issued an apology on social media and retracted his decision, stating that he was once again committed to Ole Miss. As of June 30, he is still in Pete Golding’s inaugural recruiting class. Shumaker’s double flip will be one of the craziest stories of the entire cycle when it’s all said and done.
4-star CB Ai’King Hall — Miami
School:Dothan (Ala.)
Rivals Industry Ranking: No. 91 NATL. (No. 12 CB)
Just eight days after Miami flipped Wright away from Georgia, it flipped Hall from Oregon. The No. 1 recruit in Alabama, Hall was another Southeast star that first chose the Ducks before opting for a program closer to home upon second thought. All it took was one visit to Coral Gables for Hall to flip to the Hurricanes on May 17. Mario Cristobal and his staff were persistent in their push for the ballhawk and it paid off. Between Hall, Wright and Bryant, Miami has without question been the biggest winner when it comes to securing flips this cycle.
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