When recruits commit to a school, a lot of factors are involved, such as distance from home, potential playing time, ability to win a national title and more.
Perhaps no bigger factor exists than the relationship they build with the coaching staff, though. That's why whenever there is turmoil in a program's coaching ranks, it's nearly guaranteed to put the recruiting situation in limbo.
We've already seen it this year, with USC and LSU agreeing to part ways with Clay Helton and Ed Orgeron, respectively. That means plenty of high-profile recruits could explore their options.
TCU has some high-level recruits making a change, and others such as Florida and Virginia Tech could break with their head coaches too.
Then there are there's the speculation surrounding Penn State's James Franklin (USC) and Michigan State's Mel Tucker (LSU) that could impact those stellar classes.
Some of the high-profile pledges below are at least entertaining the idea of finding a new home. Others could do the same if speculation turns into reality and other elite programs look around for their next coach.
Not only do the Penn State Nittany Lions want Franklin to stay in Happy Valley because of his coaching acumen, but they'd also like to avoid a major recruiting hit.
Penn State's class is third in the 2022 rankings, and it's a deep, strong group on both sides of the ball. One of the few knocks on Franklin's recruiting while at State College has been his inability to lure an elite quarterback.
With offensive coordinator Mike Yurcich entrenched, the Nittany Lions have two in the 2022 cycle, including Drew Allar of Medina, Ohio.
The 4-star signal-caller boasts a 6'5", 228-pound frame and elite arm strength. He has only become a hotter name on the trail with the home-state Buckeyes offering him in September. Allar had plenty of other big-time offers, and people will swarm him if any indecision arises.
Franklin seems content in Happy Valley. It's an elite program, and he's built it back to prominence. Allar is the ideal signal-caller to run Yurcich's system, though, and you have to believe if Franklin decided to leap back to the SEC for the LSU gig or went west to USC, he'd try to take Yurcich with him.
Would that affect Allar?
Gary Patterson's departure from TCU is still fresh. Once recruits have more time to react, the fallout could be immense.
The Horned Frogs are a proud program that could make a legitimate hire to replace Patterson, who'd guided the team since 2000 but hadn't made a bowl since 2018. But he is generally beloved by his players, and the few high-quality prospects ready to head to Fort Worth could look elsewhere.
One of those is 4-star wide receiver DJ Allen. The stout 5'11", 190-pound Gladewater, Texas, pass-catcher had high interest in Baylor, Arkansas and UCF before he decided to play for the Frogs. With head coach Dave Aranda having a big year in Waco with the 7-1 Bears, Allen could give Baylor another look.
Other programs would come calling too.
TCU can't afford to lose much star power from a class ranked 33rd, and Allen is a foregone conclusion to explore options. He tweeted after hearing the Patterson news, "I'm opening my recruitment back up just not decommitting yet."
Trevon Mcalpine already decommitted from TCU, as has Matthew Golden. Other prospects could join them, according to TCU 360's Colin Post. Allen would be a major loss from a class already experiencing hits. Jaylon Guilbeau, a 4-star cornerback, may look around too.
They need to find a way to stabilize.
Whew, are things ever getting dicey for Dan Mullen in Gainesville.
Following this past weekend's demoralizing loss to rival Georgia, Florida is a disappointing 4-4.
Meanwhile, Mullen ruffled plenty of Gator feathers (scales?) when he said after the game: "We're in the season now. We'll do recruiting after the season—when it gets to recruiting time we can talk about recruiting," according to the Gainesville Sun's Graham Hall.
Recruiting is a 12-month endeavor, and considering some in Gator Country don't think Mullen's classes have been good enough, that wasn't the right thing to say at this point of a frustrating year. Could this be yet another step toward ending the Mullen era?
If so, there will almost certainly be some movement in Florida's 22nd-ranked class. One guy to watch is the nation's top-ranked athlete, Isaiah Bond.
The 5'11", 175-pound jitterbug can do it all with the ball in his hands, and teams around the country, such as Alabama and Miami, among others, covet him. Home-state Georgia could be a factor, too, if he reopens his recruiting.
BamaOnline.com's Hank South thinks Bond could wind up in Tuscaloosa:
"Alabama already has one Buford [Georgia] prospect committed in Jake Pope, with Bond still on its radar. The No. 1 athlete in the country has officially visited UA already and continues to connect with the staff. Florida has been struggling on the recruiting trail of late, losing some big commitments. Bond remains in the fold, but is certainly one to watch."
The entire situation in Gainesville is something to keep an eye on.
Every team needs at least one quarterback in every recruiting class, considering the transfer portal is the great equalizer.
Even so, it's hard to believe an elite signal-calling prospect such as Devin Brown committed to USC, especially with Kedon Slovis there and Jaxson Dart looking like the future for the Trojans. But with so much up in the air in Troy, Brown might feel whoever gets the job will come in with an open mind.
Still, he is looking around after the Trojans fired Clay Helton.
The 6'3", 189-pound 4-star prospect from Draper, Utah, visited UCLA recently, per On3 Sports' Keegan Pope, but with coach Chip Kelly taking a commitment from 2022 prospect Justyn Martin recently after his decommitment from the Cal Bears, the courtship of Brown could cool.
That would open the door for the other contender for Martin, Lane Kiffin's Ole Miss Rebels, to flip Brown. The Rebels are also looking at LSU commit Walker Howard, per Rivals' Sam Spiegelman.
Kiffin's track record of developing quarterbacks is lengthy, and he has already worked wonders with Matt Corral, another western kid (from California) who wound up in Oxford and is among the nation's top quarterbacks.
According to SI.com's John Garcia, Brown has "continued to express a desire to play at USC," but the flirtation with UCLA and Ole Miss, and recent offers from Texas and Ohio State, have to be intriguing.
Before any Michigan State fan freaks out, there's nothing but positive vibes around everything going on in East Lansing (well, other than the post-Michigan win celebration).
The No. 5 Spartans are legit, and second-year head coach Mel Tucker became the first MSU coach to win his first two games against those hated Wolverines. If it's up to the fans and the administration, Tucker will coach there for years to come.
But his name is coming up an awful lot surrounding the LSU opening, and Tucker proved when Michigan State more than doubled his money to lure him from Colorado after just one season, he'd do more than listen. There are very deep pockets in Baton Rouge, but will LSU zero in on Tucker? Will he go if it does?
If Tucker were to bolt, a stellar recruiting class could crumble. The good news for Michigan State is a lot of the top prospects in the class are Michigan natives, including 4-star receiver Antonio Gates Jr.
Yes, he's the son of NFL Hall of Fame tight end Antonio Gates, and MSU is where the older Gates went before transferring to Eastern Michigan and then Kent State. The younger Gates is a 6'1", 185-pound big-bodied receiver from Dearborn, and he obviously is getting sound advice.
"Most importantly, I think the focus should be on whether you can get these kids developed, and what I've seen from Mel and his staff is Michigan State improve from year to year," the elder Gates told Spartan Tailgater's Justin Thind.
If the elder Gates is a big believer in Tucker's developmental ability, and the head coach goes elsewhere, would the recruit follow?
TCU isn't the only Lone Star State program seeking a new head coach. The Texas Tech Red Raiders fired Matt Wells more than a week ago, and there will be some fallout from their recruiting class.
While Wells didn't exactly burn up the trails, he got a dynamic playmaker committed in running back Maurion Horn. The Red Raiders desperately need to keep him.
The 5'11", 175-pound Broken Arrow, Oklahoma, runner had 100 percent Crystal Ball predictions for Oklahoma before he committed to Texas Tech, and it looks like the courtship of the Sooners is picking up again.
According to Bryant Crews of Sooners Wire, Horn was in Norman last weekend to watch OU play Texas Tech. Was that just a free visit to watch the Red Raiders close to home, or is Horn seriously considering flipping?
The Under Armour All-American hasn't mentioned the possibility of looking around, and it's unclear which suitors would materialize. But he is an explosive athlete who would be highly coveted if he decommitted.
It appears the Red Raiders have weathered the initial storm by keeping Horn in the days after ousting Wells, but there is a long time before Feb. 2's national signing day. He could be the centerpiece of the class, no matter who the next coach is.
Walker Howard is a potential program-changing quarterback for the LSU Tigers. Yes, Max Johnson looks like the immediate future in Baton Rouge, but Howard is a 5-star legacy who is in line to take a lot of snaps in the bayou over the next few years.
Unfortunately for the Tigers, Howard—whose father, Jamie, played for the Tigers in the '90s—is looking around despite being still committed to LSU.
He visited Notre Dame a week ago, and he is set to visit Kiffin's Ole Miss Rebels this week, according to Spiegelman. Per Garcia, Howard said he'd like to remain committed to LSU, but he's keeping his options open.
The 6'1", 195-pound signal-caller is the nation's fourth-ranked quarterback. At a time when elite QBs simply aren't on the board, this could be a huge coup for somebody, and lots of programs are at least kicking the tires.
Kiffin is doing so because the Rebels lost out to UCLA in the Justyn Martin sweepstakes. Howard is looking around because who knows what will happen in Baton Rouge with Orgeron's impending departure.
There's always turmoil in LSU's recruiting class, it seems, with players coming and going, but the future of the program would take a big blow if Howard went elsewhere.
The best player on this list, and arguably the best player in the 2022 recruiting class, is 5-star cornerback Domani Jackson.
He is the nation's sixth-ranked recruit and plays for famed Mater Dei High School in Santa Ana, California. He's also a longtime USC commitment who seemed primed to anchor the Trojans class before they fired Helton.
The 6'1", 185-pounder is a polished prospect who can start immediately and could be a beloved star right away for USC if he stays.
Jackson is still hanging on as a commitment, and though his decision is firm, per EJ Holland (who now works for TheWolverine.com, despite this byline being from the Maize and Blue Review), his actions aren't exactly backing that up. Michigan and Alabama are in hot pursuit of the playmaker, and he's listening.
"They hit me up every day and see what's going on with me," Jackson told Holland regarding Michigan. "It's not really recruiting anymore. It's about everyday life now. I get along with mostly everyone that's there. Coach [Jim] Harbaugh hits me up, and Coach Clink [Steve Clinkscale] talks to me every day."
He also said Michigan was his "dream school." That said, the Crimson Tide are trying to lure him from USC too.
According to South, Jackson is among the five players UA has a chance to flip, and he will be back in Tuscaloosa this weekend for Bama's game against LSU. Domani's father, Randy, told South: "It's Alabama. They're prepared, they're developed. They're ready."
Virginia Tech's Justin Fuente finds himself squarely on the hot seat thanks to his 42-30 record and one bowl win since 2016.
While he hasn't been an elite recruiter in his time in Blacksburg, this year's class is stronger than what they're used to, and a few of the guys on the list seem firm in their commitments despite the questions surrounding the program.
It's hard to imagine Gunner Givens or even running back Ramon Brown looking elsewhere if a move is made. But the same cannot be said for 4-star cornerback Cam Johnson. The prospect from Baltimore's powerhouse program St. Frances Academy would have a lot of suitors if he opened things back up.
Johnson hasn't mentioned anything about wavering on his pledge, but, then again, Fuente is still in town. If Johnson looked around, programs such as Maryland, Boston College, Ole Miss, Tennessee, Texas A&M and Penn State could at least be interested.
Some of those teams were on his list the first time around.
"When I made my visit to campus, how things were there really stood out," he told VT Scoop's Brian Dohn of Virginia Tech. "I have a good relationship with the coaches and I like the feel of the program. I like the campus. It was a place I could see myself at."
If you take Fuente and the staff out of the equation, is there enough of a good vibe in Blacksburg for him to come all the way down from Baltimore?
The second LSU commitment on this list hails from the same city as the first: Lafayette, Louisiana, which is where quarterback Walker Howard lives.
Tigers pledge Laterrance Welch is a 6'1", 180-pound defensive back with long arms, great coverage skills and an elite skill set. And if Corey Raymond keeps coaching the secondary, the Tigers can rest easy regarding Welch.
"I'm going to stick with it as long as he is there," he said of Raymond, according to the Advocate's Mike Coppage. "Our relationship is real tight. He's a coach who I feel can develop me as a player and a man."
The 4-star, top-150 prospect from Acadiana High School has plenty of suitors, much like receiver Aaron Anderson, who flipped from LSU to Alabama this past week.
Also, while Raymond has a long track record of producing elite playmakers on the back end of the defense and would likely remain in consideration, the new head coach will have the opportunity to bring in his own staff. And the secondary has underachieved the past couple of seasons despite having a ton of talent. Maybe a new direction is what it needs.
In the meantime, Welch will see the heat turn up on him from other favorites such as Texas A&M and Florida State, and he is almost certain to listen while he waits. The Tigers need guys like him to stay no matter what decisions they make.
Of all the positions Herm Edwards has recruited well while the head coach at Arizona State, no spot is more loaded than running back.
Tevin White is the next guy on that list. But the 6'1", 200-pound Stafford, Virginia, prospect's commitment is a big "if," with so much potentially in limbo at the program.
Arizona State's class is a ghost town for 4-stars. The Sun Devils had several of them, but they all have decommitted, besides White, in the wake of the NCAA investigation surrounding potential recruiting infractions by the Edwards regime.
CBS Sports' Dennis Dodd believed the investigation made Edwards a hot-seat candidate. He wrote before the season:
"An NCAA investigation changed everything. There's a damning dossier detailing an alleged improper recruiting scheme during COVID-19. Prospects were allegedly brought in during the COVID-19 dead period despite massive health risks. Even if Edwards had no idea, the NCAA could penalize ASU via the coaches' responsibility bylaw.
"All of it will hang over this season even as ASU is favored by some to win the Pac-12 South. Edwards has proved himself as a college coach, but the investigation adds a stain. He's innocent until proven guilty, but for now, this scandal reaches beyond the coach's office. Bring a big shovel. It's going to be hard digging out of this one."
The Sun Devils have been inconsistent on the field too. After entering last weekend's game against Washington State 5-2 and sitting pretty in the Pac-12 South alongside Utah, they were embarrassed by the Cougars.
So, a looming investigation without a strong on-field resume could end badly for Edwards. If that happens, White may wind up closer to home.
All stats courtesy of CFBStats and Sports Reference. Recruiting rankings via 247Sports' composite rankings unless otherwise noted.
Follow Brad Shepard on Twitter, @Brad_Shepard.