With any coaching change there is going to be movement in a recruiting class and when the coach who left is the best of all time – Nick Saban – there could be more than usual.
That has been the case with Alabama since the start of January and it has also trickled down to the Washington class as its former coach Kalen DeBoer took over in Tuscaloosa.
Of the nine Power Five decommitments so far in January, eight have come from the Crimson Tide or the Huskies and they’re some of the biggest names in the 2024 and 2025 classes. The other one is from Michigan as coach Jim Harbaugh interviewed with the Los Angeles Chargers this week and more NFL teams could be involved with him soon.
Here’s a breakdown of the latest as of midday Tuesday:
The current three-star defensive end from Peoria (Ariz.) Centennial signed with Washington but when Kalen DeBoer left for Alabama, Carter started the process of trying to get out of his letter. It looks like that will happen and on Monday night the Crimson Tide offered. Carter is expected to visit Tuscaloosa this weekend and it wouldn’t be a surprise if that’s where he landed.
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The Hollywood (Fla.) Chaminade Madonna four-star defensive back was committed to Michigan for more than a year but in recent days as news that coach Jim Harbaugh would interview for NFL jobs, Ewald backed off that pledge to reset his recruitment. His decision to decommit also comes right after his weekend visit to Georgia with trips to Florida State and Miami coming up in the next two weeks.
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When I talked to him at the National Combine in San Antonio just a few weeks ago, Ffrench was not thrilled that position coach Holmon Wiggins left Alabama for Texas A&M but he seemed to be sticking with his Crimson Tide commitment. That changed when Nick Saban retired and now the Aggies are involved along with his other favorites – Florida State and Ohio State. Ffrench is one of the best receivers in the 2025 class so he’ll have his choice of programs but the Aggies, Seminoles and Buckeyes are a good start.
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The four-star offensive lineman from Fairburn (Ga.) Langston Hughes kept it pretty quiet within the last day or so that he decommitted from Alabama but he’s back on the market with a group of programs already involved. He was at Auburn over the weekend and he had an awesome time on The Plains as they’re working on landing his commitment and then Miami, Texas and Tennessee are also involved.
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Prior to his Alabama commitment, Florida State, Georgia, Ohio State and UCF were the schools to watch and now that he backed off his Alabama pledge following the coaching turnover, Hilson has flipped to the Seminoles. The Cocoa, Fla., four-star defensive end was involved with FSU throughout his recruitment and sees more stability in Tallahassee.
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After backing off his Washington pledge following the DeBoer news that he was leaving for Alabama, the four-star quarterback from Laguna Beach, Calif., had heard from Minnesota, Cal, San Diego State, Oregon State, Rice and UNLV as of Sunday night. After throwing for 3,174 yards with 41 touchdowns and five interceptions this past season, many more could get involved soon. In the last day or so, Baylor, Florida, Colorado and Colorado State have also touched base.
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Rainey-Sale’s commitment to Washington lasted all of four days. The 2025 four-star linebacker made his pledge to the Huskies and then the DeBoer news dropped that he was leaving for Alabama so the Spanaway (Wash.) Bethel School standout reopened his recruitment. Florida State and Miami were the other favorites for him with Oregon and Washington as well. Alabama offered on Tuesday.
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Months ago, Short joked that people close to home in Evans, Ga., were giving him gruff about picking Alabama over Georgia but that he was happy with the Crimson Tide. But now with Saban gone and a new staff in – plus the Bulldogs’ continued pursuit of him – the four-star offensive lineman is back on the market. Georgia would make a ton of sense here but Ohio State is also involved and we’ll see about Alabama once things settle down there.
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Wilhite also signed with Washington but when DeBoer left, the four-star defensive end from Tucson (Ariz.) Salpointe reopened his recruitment and saw a flood of attention from programs. Since backing off the Huskies, Wilhite has heard from Alabama, Texas, Michigan State, UCLA, Oklahoma, Ole Miss, Wisconsin, Michigan, Ohio State, Florida, USC and he told me it’s “not a complete no for UW” as well.
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Coming off a visit to Texas A&M over the weekend where the five-star receiver hooked back up with former Alabama position coach Holmon Wiggins, the Aggies are now involved here and Williams is expected to also visit Auburn and Texas soon. But the Saraland, Ala., standout was back in Tuscaloosa in recent days spending time with Jaylen Mbakwe and others and the feeling from some sources is that the Crimson Tide still look OK here.
