Jacob Phillips committed to the Oklahoma Sooners in mid-October and, for all intents and purposes, it appeared as if the top inside linebacker in the 2017 class would be spending his college career in Norman. However, Phillips threw the entire recruiting world a curve ball on Thursday, flipping his commitment from Oklahoma to Ed Orgeron and the LSU Tigers.
Related: Rivals predicts landing spot for nation's No. 6 player Marvin Wilson
Phillips described the choice as "one of the hardest decisions (he has) made in (his) life" and it is a huge win for LSU. The 6-foot-3, 228-pound prospect from Nashville is a top-50 overall prospect nationally according to the 247Sports composite and Phillips is seen across the board as an elite player at the position.
In flipping to LSU, Phillips will have the opportunity to star as a central member of Orgeron's first recruiting class and the Tigers were facing a big-time need at linebacker in 2017. At the same time, Oklahoma loses one of its best pick-ups for this year's class and the impact of such a defection could be felt for quite some time.
There is still time for another pivot if he so desires, but it looks like Jacob Phillips will be spending an extended period of time in Baton Rouge.
