Top football recruit flips commitment from Florida State to Jackson State

In an historic and shocking move, one of the top high school football recruits flipped his commitment from Florida State to Jackson State Wednesday. Travis Hunter is a five-star cornerback from Suwanee, Georgia. He is the No. 1 recruit in the country for the class of 2022 according to 247Sports and Rivals. ESPN has him at No. 2.

Hunter gave a non-binding verbal commitment to Florida State back in March, and was expected to sign with the Seminoles on Wednesday.

“Florida State has always been a beacon for me. I grew up down there, that’s where my roots are, and I never doubted that I would play for the Seminoles,” Hunter said in a Wednesday tweet. “It’s a dream that is hard to let go of, but sometimes we are called to step into a bigger future than the one we imagined for ourselves.”

Jackson State head football coach Deion Sanders called his shot on Barstool Sports’ “Unnecessary Roughness” podcast a day before signing day.

“I’m going on record to tell you guys we’re gonna shock the country,” Sanders said. “I’m telling you right now, you’ve heard it from me, we’re going to shock the country.”

Sanders is a Pro Football Hall of Famer and widely considered to be one of the best players in National League Football history. He actually played his college ball at Florida State.

“I got a one in lifetime chance to play for one of the greats,” Hunter said in an interview following his announcement. Sanders is in his second season as the Jackson State head coach. He led the Tigers to their first Southwestern Athletic Conference championship since 2007 in his first season.

The top football recruit’s decision is notable firstly because Jackson State is a part of the Football Championship Subdivision (FCS), which is the lower tier of Division I football. Top 100 players rarely sign outside the traditional college football power programs, like Florida State, that play in the Football Bowl Subdivision (FBS). Meanwhile, FCS schools are lucky to get their hands on three-star talents. Hunter’s commitment is also a big win for Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCU’s).

“I am making this decision so that I can light the way for others to follow, make it a little easier for the next player to recognize that HBCU’s may be everything you want and more,” Hunter said. “I can’t wait to welcome the next top athletes into the family of HBCU’s.”