USC football: Lane Kiffin tied for 'top flipper' in recruiting

 

USC Coach Lane Kiffin and Ohio State Coach Urban Meyer are the top "flippers" in college football.

That, at least, is one of the conclusions that SI.com's Andy Staples reached in this report tracking football recruits who broke verbal commitments and signed with another school.

Staples studied the top 100 players in the classes of 2007 through 2011.

Kiffin's track record is mostly from his 14-month tenure at Tennessee.

"It's fitting that Kiffin and Florida-turned-Ohio State coach Urban Meyer, who locked horns so memorably on the recruiting trail, finished tied for the title of Top Flipper," Staples wrote. "Each flipped five top-100 players during the five-year period."

Staples also noted: "Thanks to swipes by Meyer and Kiffin's successors, Florida and Tennessee tied for the most top-100 players flipped with six each. Florida and USC, meanwhile, tied for the most top-100 players lost with six each."

With signing day approaching on Feb. 1, stay tuned for more intrigue.

-- Gary Klein

Photo: Lane Kiffin, center, coaching USC against Stanford in October. Credit: Wally Skalij / Los Angeles Times