Late shakeups provided early-signing period surprises | Defense

<!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>The early signing period brought a flurry of late excitement in Louisiana despite the bulk of the state's top 2026 prospects having announced college plans prior to their senior seasons. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Several notable coaching changes — including in-state programs in LSU and Tulane and a slew of notable out-of-staters as well — added extra fuel to the winter "flip season" and helped sparked a particularly active recruiting start to this month.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Here's a rundown of the major moves from defensive standouts that helped highlight the December shakeups.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>And <a href="https://prepredzone.com/2025/12/december-2025-signing-day-late-surprises-flip-season-2026-offense/">click here for more on the offensive standouts who had late changes of plans</a>.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id='920606' first='Darryus' last='McKinley'] — 6-3, 275 DL/EDGE — Acadiana (from LSU to Ohio State)</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>The Wreckin' Rams' big defensive lineman's change of plans came a bit earlier than most of the players on these lists. McKinley announced his flip from home-state LSU to the reigning national champion and No. 1 Ohio State during Thanksgiving Week and helped ramp up the late surge of activity.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1741290' first='Jackson' last='Williams'] —&nbsp;6-2, 180 DB —&nbsp;Archbishop Shaw (from Tulane to Washington State)</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Williams backed off his longtime commitment to hometown Tulane early in signing week amid the Green Wave's ongoing coaching change and uncertainty and became the highest-ranked of Washington State's late swing of recruiting wins in New Orleans. But he announced Monday now amid a coaching change in Pullman, Wash., that the Cougars had released him from his letter of intent to reevaluate his options. Coach Jimmy Rogers and defensive coordinator Jesse Bobbit are both heading to Iowa State, making the Cyclones a new program to watch for Williams. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id='740982' first='Chris' last='Addison'] — 6-4, 225 EDGE — Franklin Parish (from Michigan State to Mississippi State)</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Franklin Parish hadn't had an SEC signee in the school's history, but Addison's late flip from Michigan State to Mississippi State gave the Patriots two in one class and set up an opportunity for family and fans to see him play just a short drive from home. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1237612' first='Damari' last='Drake'] — 6-0, 215 LB — Evangel Christian (from Grambling State to Nicholls State)</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>The hard-hitting Evangel Christian linebacker had long appeared on his way to being a potential steal for an in-state FCS program, but on signing week, that destination changed from just down Interstate 20 at Grambling State to further south at Nicholls State with former defensive coordinator Tommy Rybacki as he prepares for his second season in the lead job. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1602024' first='Torrence' last='Sanders'] —&nbsp;6-1, 180 DB — Edna Karr (from South Alabama to Washington State)</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>As mentioned above, Washington State enjoyed a late series of recruiting wins in New Orleans, including Sanders, the versatile defensive back from Edna Karr, joining one of his high school teammates in signing up for the move out to the Pacific Northwest.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1737070' first='Ashton' last='Dawson'] — 6-2, 285 DL/TE — Evangel Christian (from Arkansas to Louisiana Tech)</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>The coaching change at Arkansas left a few commitments to the SEC program looking for new college destinations, and Dawson — the trench standout for his resurgent Evangel Christian program — quickly found his new opportunity closer to home at Louisiana Tech.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph -->