While the majority of top prospects go to powerhouse programs on an annual basis, there are always a handful of selections that are very surprising. Here are five that stand out in the 2015 class with two being at the most important position in sports.
1. Jarrett Stidham, QB
ESPN 300 ranking: No. 39
Stidham committed to Texas Tech on March 7 over Baylor in what was once thought to be a slam dunk for the Bears. Baylor had a senior quarterback in Bryce Petty and not an established future starter behind him, two decades of connections at Stephenville High for Baylor head coach Art Briles, an offensive scheme that was a fit, and the fact that the Bears had targeted him for nearly two years. While the Red Raiders targeted Kyler Murray first, the ability to reel in Stidham for Kliff Kingsbury was too much to pass up. While the scheme was a good fit along with opportunity for Stidham, his girlfriend plans to attend Texas Tech and he is very tight with her family.
2. Brandon Wimbush, QB
ESPN 300 ranking: No. 36
The strong-armed Wimbush flipped from Penn State to Notre Dame on Oct. 7 after an official visit a few days prior in what was a shocker. While the offensive scheme and academics at Notre Dame were a perfect fit, the long-time Nittany Lions recruit's mother attended Penn State and there was very much a chance that Wimbush would be the starter at Penn State after Christian Hackenberg departs. Throw in the fact that James Franklin is one of the top recruiters going, and this one was a big surprise, especially the timing. If Stanford were closer to home, the flip would likely have been to the Cardinal.
3. Tyler Petite, TE
ESPN 300 ranking: No. 133
The number of times USC lost a top target to Duke can be counted in this story. While Petite was locked in with a decision down to the Blue Devils and Trojans, there weren’t many people on the planet that expected the choice on July 2 to be Duke with USC having received the last unofficial visit and the fact that the Trojans don’t lose many top targets to programs not named Oregon, Notre Dame, Florida or Ohio State.
4.Deon Cain, WR/ATH
ESPN 300 ranking: No. 32
Cain had family connections to schools in the state of Florida, and a mom that was looking to have her son stay closer to home as others had before him. While many pegged Florida as a team to beat early, the Gators' struggles in 2013 and questions that followed all the way until recently gave Clemson an opportunity, and Jeff Scott and Tony Elliott busted through the door and won a battle in the Tampa area against he Gators and Seminoles. The fact that Sammy Watkins went to Clemson and ascended to the heights he did only added to the chances for Dabo Sweeny to close early, which the Tigers did May 30.
5. Jake Fruhmorgen, OT/G
ESPN 300 ranking: No. 93
Fruhmorgen’s father played at Alabama, Florida was the early leader and Fruhmorgen plays at Plant High in Tampa, so this was a slam dunk for the SEC … or so it appeared. Not so fast, as it came out after an initial visit to Clemson that Fruhmorgen prefers a smaller town for his college experience. That coupled with the Gators' struggles and questions regarding their future led the latest nationally recruited prospect out of Plant High to the ACC to play for the Tigers.