December was a wild month for decommitments and while January was not nearly as busy there were still some significant players backing off their pledges. Here is a look at the 10 biggest stings of the month as 22 prospects decommitted during that stretch.
Note: Five-star Ryan Williams will not be included in the top 10 since he decommitted from Alabama but then rejoined the Crimson Tide’s class.
Jaime Ffrench’s decommitment from Alabama
One of the best receivers in the 2025 class, Alabama landed an early commitment from the Jacksonville (Fla.) Mandarin standout but after coach Nick Saban left and position coach Holmon Wiggins left for Texas A&M, Ffrench reopened his recruitment. Now everybody is swarming with Florida State, Ohio State, Miami, Texas A&M, Georgia and others reaching out and trying to get involved. The Crimson Tide’s new staff is not giving up, either, so things should stay interesting.
Sting Factor: 9
*****
Chris Ewald’s decommitment from Michigan
Ewald decommitted from Michigan before coach Jim Harbaugh took the Los Angeles Chargers job but the writing was on the wall that Harbaugh was gone and so the high four-star defensive back decided to take a step back. The Wolverines are probably not going to get back in with Ewald on a serious level as it looks like – right now anyway – that Miami and Auburn are the most involved with Florida State and others are in the mix, too. It looks like the shutdown corner will end up somewhere in the Southeast.
Sting Factor: 8
*****
Mason Short’s decommitment from Alabama
The four-star offensive lineman from Evans, Ga., ruffled some feathers when he chose Alabama over Georgia early in his recruitment but less than a week following former coach Nick Saban’s retirement, Short was back on the market. Georgia and Clemson have emerged as two of the main contenders for the 6-foot-7, 295-pound four-star prospect but new Alabama coach Kalen DeBoer has re-engaged with Short so that could be something to watch as well.
Sting Factor: 8
*****
Zion Grady’s decommitment from Alabama
The top-ranked weakside defensive end picked Alabama over numerous SEC powers and others in mid-November but only a couple months later basically everything changed in Tuscaloosa and so Grady backed off his pledge. This one could particularly sting the Crimson Tide in the coming years since Auburn is one program to watch for the Enterprise, Ala., standout along with Georgia and LSU. There’s a good chance Grady will end up elsewhere in the SEC West and almost a lock he’ll be somewhere in that conference.
Sting Factor: 8
*****
Javion Hilson’s decommitment from Alabama
In December, the four-star defensive end committed to Alabama but over the next few weeks Hilson saw Saban retire and an entirely new coaching staff come into Tuscaloosa. A few days after Saban’s decision, the Cocoa, Fla., not only decommitted from the Crimson Tide but flipped to Florida State. He’s an in-state four-star standout, his father is a big Seminoles fan and Hilson grew up watching that program so it looks like he’s now locked in with FSU.
Sting Factor: 8
*****
Devin Carter’s decommitment from Florida State
Carter’s father, Dexter, played at Florida State so it was not a major surprise when the 2026 four-star standout made an early pledge to the Seminoles. But it took some people aback when the Ellenwood (Ga.) Cedar Grove prospect backed off his pledge in late January especially after FSU had such a great season. A lot of SEC programs will be involved with Carter but since he’s a legacy at FSU it wouldn’t be a surprise to see him back in the Seminoles’ class either.
Sting Factor: 7
*****
Noah Carter’s decommitment from Washington
Heading into the All-American Bowl, Carter was ranked as a three-star defensive end. It was a nice pickup for Washington but not one of the Huskies’ biggest. The Peoria (Ariz.) Centennial standout had an outstanding week in San Antonio and moved up to four-star status so his decision to back off his Washington commitment and then flip to Alabama when coach Kalen DeBoer left one for the other definitely hurts the Huskies.
Sting Factor: 7
*****
Keona Wilhite’s decommitment from Washington
The four-star defensive end from Tucson (Ariz.) Salpointe committed to Washington in late October and it looked like it was another big win for the Huskies, who ended up playing for the national championship in DeBoer’s second season. But then DeBoer left for Alabama and Wilhite got out of his letter of intent. Michigan State, Nebraska and UCLA are the three finalists for him as Washington had a standout defensive end signed but still couldn’t keep him.
Sting Factor: 7
*****
D’Antre Robinson’s decommitment from Texas
Texas scored a big recruiting win over the summer when the four-star defensive tackle picked the Longhorns over Florida and a late push from Alabama but Robinson won’t end up in Austin. After position coach Bo Davis left Texas to return to LSU, Robinson backed out of his letter and flipped to the Gators. At 6-foot-5 and 290 pounds, the four-star has a lot to work with but is not a finished product so development will be key at Florida.
Sting Factor: 7
*****
Jackson Kollock’s decommitment from Washington
Toward the back end of an outstanding junior season where Kollock threw for 3,174 yards with 41 touchdowns and five picks and ran for eight more scores, the four-star quarterback from Laguna Beach, Calif., committed to Washington. But only a few months later, DeBoer was off to Alabama and Kollock had to restart his recruitment. This spring could be huge for the four-star quarterback as teams across the country come to see him.
Sting Factor: 7
*****
The others who de-committed this month were: Ryan Williams (Alabama), Zaydrius Rainey-Sale (Washington), Rahshawn Clark (Arizona), Robert Bourdon (Duke), Dash Beierly (Arizona), Caden Knighten (Vanderbilt), Josiah Sharma (Washington), Izayia Williams (Louisville), Blake Tabaracci (UCLA), Rahim Wright (Arizona), Justin Hylkema (Arizona) and Ratumana Bulabalavu (Washington).
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Adam Gorney, National Recruiting Director
