College Football Recruiting: The Top Surprise Commitments of the Summer

Summer is a thing of the past and most college football recruits are looking toward their senior seasons rather than continuing their journeys though the recruitment grind. 

That, of course, doesn't apply to many of the prospects who've already declared their allegiance. 

There were a few surprises this summer, as several of the nation's top prospects committed in the last few months. 

Some went exactly where we expected them to. Others did exactly the opposite.

Here are the biggest surprise commitments of the summer. 

Trey DePriest, OLB, Alabama

Trey DePriest is in a great situation at Alabama, so you can't really argue with the decision, but it was long believed that the Ohio native would join the Buckeyes.

Of course, there were the rumors that he was a silent commitment to the Crimson Tide after a visit to Tuscaloosa earlier in the year, but that was never confirmed by any parties involved. 

DePriest committed to Alabama over Ohio State on July 30.

Even though in the days before his decision most experts believed that would be his choice, DePriest is childhood friends with Braxton Miller, the top quarterback of the 2011 class and the headliner of the Buckeyes' recruiting class. 

DePriest was present at Miller's commitment announcement and Miller was present at DePriest's. Friendship might come second to football in this case, but for a long time the two were considered a package deal. 

Justice Hayes, RB, Notre Dame

Justice Hayes really got the ball rolling for Notre Dame at the end of July, becoming the first of four commitments in a two-day period to close out the month. 

After his commitment, 3-star cornerback Jalen Brown and 3-star defensive end Anthony Rabasa followed later that same day and 4-star defensive end Aaron Lynch joined the group less than 24 hours later. 

Hayes chose the Irish over Michigan State, Michigan, Iowa and Northwestern. 

Although all sources indicated that he'd go the route of the Irish in the days before his official announcement, Hayes, a Michigan native, grew up a Spartans fan and was considered a long-time lean for Michigan State. 

That notion was laid to rest a couple days before his announcement, when Hayes told reporters he had come to his decision and it was a school he never thought he would have gone to. 

James Wilder, ATH, Florida State

James Wilder's commitment was one of the biggest stories of the summer and drew more attention than pretty much anything. 

When Malcolm Brown, the top running back in the class, committed to Texas, it happened quietly and peacefully, without a week of speculation, rumors and reports. 

Wilder plans on playing running back at FSU, and while no one would consider him a better prospect at the position than Brown, his commitment was a rollar coaster ride that captured national media attention for days. 

We heard for months it would be Florida, then the day before his announcement sources claimed he was a near-lock for Georgia. 

Of course, the day of it was all FSU, but there's a feeling here we haven't heard the end of this one. 

Kasen Williams, WR, Washington

Kasen Williams is a player I had long predicted would commit to Washington. He's a native of the state, both of his parents are Huskies, his father played on the football team and Williams has had a long-standing relationship with the coaching staff. 

So why is this a surprise?

Well, from this end it isn't. I broke down his options over a month ago and stood firm in my belief he would join the Huskies.

The shock here is that I actually thought he would stay in state and pick Washington. This team hasn't been able to keep its top talent in state in quite some time.

Keeping Williams over other finalists that included LSU, Florida, Notre Dame and Cal is no small victory. 

Brett Hundley, QB, UCLA

Brett Hundley was the last major commitment of the summer and while most observers expected his commitment to UCLA, it still came as a surprise. 

Hundley is Scout's No. 6 quarterback and was by far the top uncommitted passer on the market before announcing that he would join the Bruins.

Hundley's final two choices were UCLA and Washington.

Speculation started running rampant that he would chose UCLA when he cancelled a visit to Washington days before posting a statement on his Facebook claiming that he had made his decision and would make a commitment shortly. 

While he subsequently confirmed the speculation, it comes as a surprise because in doing so Hundly bypassed the chance to play alongside blue chip recruits such as receiver Kasen Williams, tight end Austin Seferian-Jenkins and running back Brendon Bigelow.