Alvin Henderson is one of the 10-best running backs in the college football recruiting Class of 2025. His recent flip from Penn State to Auburn reflects the unhinged nature of recruiting in the modern era.
Loyalty means nothing!
Henderson, an Alabama-native, has 44 scholarship offers from all over the country. Schools like Alabama, Texas, Miami, North Carolina, Georgia, Baylor, Florida, Colorado, Notre Dame, Ole Miss and Purdue are among those that have offered. Alabama, Florida State, Penn State, and Auburn are most prominently in the mix. Especially the latter two.
The 5-foot-9, 200-pound ball-carrier committed to James Franklin and the Nittany Lions on April 11. Momentum started to swing toward the in-state Tigers shortly thereafter. Henderson visited The Plains in May.
But then he took another visit to Happy Valley on June 14 and called it “home.”
Although chatter about a flip started to increase earlier this week, Henderson reiterated that he was fully committed to Penn State on the 16th.
Coach Franklin and Seider know that I am locked in.
— Alvin Henderson, via On3
The four-star prospect even responded to his own quote (in a since-deleted post) with an emoji that indicated University Park is home.
He tripled down on the 17th.
It took just four days for everything to change. Henderson officially flipped his commitment from Penn State to Auburn, as expected, on Friday.
Alvin Henderson is not the first recruit to flip his commitment. He is not the first recruit to flip his commitment after pledging his loyalty to a school for which he was not loyal. This isn’t a new thing.
However, it is a direct reflection of today’s college football recruiting climate.
High school athletes are committing to programs while keeping their recruitment open. They are visiting other schools while actively committed somewhere else. They are flipping just three days after promising that they won’t flip.
While it is an athlete’s prerogative to do what he would like, because it is his decision for his future, it seems like this process could be modified to where one single commitment is announced before signing.