When a head coach gets canned, several things happen all at once: the athletic department immediately looks for a new hire, current players instantly have 30 days to enter the transfer portal and other coaching staffs will try to get in the ear of that program's current commits and get them to flip to their school.
Luckily for Auburn, the Tigers have lost only one commit – 3-star athlete Eric Perry, who made the shocking move to flip to Memphis following the dismissal of Hugh Freeze on the Plains.
Penn State's commits leave after Franklin fired
It's been a lot worse at other schools, including Penn State, which, after firing James Franklin, has lost an eye-popping 19 prospects that were once committed to the Nittany Lions. The end of the Sam Pittman era at Arkansas has led to 14 Razorback commits changing their minds, while Oklahoma State has lost 10, Virginia Tech three, and LSU one.
Number of decommitments after head coach firings👀https://t.co/GAm3fvGAvf pic.twitter.com/FDZcvtuXCX
— Rivals (@Rivals) November 21, 2025
Amazingly enough, Florida has lost zero commits since the news of Billy Napier's ouster more than a month ago.
Auburn currently has 13 commits in its 2026 recruiting class, and with athletic director John Cohen actively searching for a new head coach and the early signing period approaching, it will be crucial that the new person in charge works quickly to ensure these commits remain committed to Auburn.