Two top recruits react to USC coaching shake-up

Video: No. 1 Tight End in the 2016 Class - Isaac Nauta
Story updated 7 p.m. Oct. 12
Arguably the nation's top receiver — and he plays tight end — IMG Academy (Bradenton, Fla.) senior Isaac Nauta has flipped an official visit.

The remarkably agile 6-foot-4, 240-pound senior has decided not to take an official visit to USC and will instead visit Alabama when it hosts LSU on Nov. 7.

The decision comes a day after USC's announcement that head coach Steve Sarkisian will be taking an indefinite absence as head coach. A few hours after that, Nauta made his announcement to change on Twitter.

Sarkisian was fired from his job Monday afternoon.



In six games, Nauta has 10 catches for 171 yards and two touchdowns, pedestrian numbers for the nation's No. 9 team according to the MaxPreps Xcellent 25 National Football Rankings presented by the Army National Guard. The stats aren't as big as the talent, as MaxPreps saw Nauta impress among the nation's best athletes at Nike's The Opening camp in the summer.

Nauta isn’t the only five-star recruit from the Class of 2016 to react to the coaching situation. 

The top player from Michigan, linebacker Daelin Hayes of Skyline (Ann Arbor, Mich.), opened up his “recruitment process,” he announced on Twitter. He was previously committed to USC. Notre Dame and Michigan appear to be Hayes’ top choices now.