Five-Star Recruit Rejects $6.7 Million NIL Deal, Flips to Tennessee in Shocking Commitment Move

In a move that stunned recruiting analysts, college football insiders, and fan bases across the country, five-star wide receiver Jayden “Jet” Ricks, the No. 3 overall player in the 2025 class, has decommitted from West Virginia and flipped his commitment to the Tennessee Volunteers, turning down lucrative NIL deals reportedly totaling $6.7 million. The decision not only sends shockwaves across the sport but also adds fuel to Tennessee’s rising national title hopes under head coach Josh Heupel.

Ricks, a 6-foot-3, 195-pound explosive playmaker from Fort Lauderdale, Florida, had been committed to West Virginia since late 2024 — a pledge that surprised many at the time, given his elite profile and offers from powerhouse programs like Georgia, Notre Dame, Alabama, and Ohio State. However, the recruiting landscape shifted dramatically in recent weeks, with Ricks reopening his recruitment and ultimately choosing the Volunteers over finalists Notre Dame and the Georgia Bulldogs.

Sources close to the Ricks family revealed the star recruit rejected a $6.7 million NIL offer structured over three years, reportedly tied to collectives connected to both West Virginia and Georgia. While the name of the offering entities has not been confirmed publicly, it’s believed that Georgia made a strong late push with a significant financial incentive package. Still, Ricks walked away.

“This is about legacy, culture, and fit. I’m betting on my development, not a paycheck,” Ricks said in a statement posted to X (formerly Twitter). “Tennessee made me feel like family. They believe in me as a person and a player. I want to win championships and become the best receiver in the country — Knoxville is where I’ll do that.”

With the decision, Tennessee not only picks up the biggest commitment of the Heupel era but also asserts itself as a new-age recruiting force in the NIL era — one that can go toe-to-toe with traditional powers. For context, Ricks becomes Tennessee’s second five-star commitment in the 2025 class and gives the Vols a realistic shot at landing the No. 1 recruiting class in the country.

“People think NIL is everything now,” one SEC coach told 247Sports anonymously. “But Tennessee has proven there’s still a place for culture and coaching to win out. What they just pulled off with Ricks — flipping him from a school that was giving him the bag — that’s a program on the rise.”

West Virginia had built its entire 2025 recruiting class around Ricks, marketing him as the face of the program’s future and a cornerstone of its offensive rebuild. Losing him this late in the cycle is a crushing blow for head coach Neal Brown, who already faced an uphill battle trying to keep the Mountaineers nationally relevant in a competitive Big 12.

“This is brutal. There’s no other way to say it,” a source inside the West Virginia athletic department told The Athletic. “We were fully invested — emotionally, structurally, financially. And now it’s gone.”

According to multiple insiders, NIL collectives had prepared a multimillion-dollar package for Ricks that included endorsement opportunities, a car sponsorship deal, and a real estate component to help his family relocate. But in the end, it wasn’t enough.

Both Georgia and Notre Dame thought they had a real shot to land Ricks. Georgia, coming off another playoff appearance, pitched immediate playing time and a history of first-round NFL receivers. Notre Dame countered with a strong education component, plus its own competitive NIL offer, rumored to be around $2 million.

Ultimately, Tennessee’s blend of offensive scheme, player development track record, and relationships won out.

“He didn’t choose the biggest brand or the biggest check,” said ESPN recruiting analyst Tom Luginbill. “He chose the best fit. And in today’s college football world, that’s a rare thing to see from a top-5 recruit.”

Landing Ricks is arguably the biggest recruiting victory of Josh Heupel’s coaching career. Known for developing quarterbacks and engineering high-octane offenses, Heupel has transformed Tennessee from a sleeping giant into a legitimate national title contender. With Ricks now in the fold, the Vols are poised to field one of the most dangerous offenses in the country for years to come.

“This kid is Jalin Hyatt and Cedric Tillman combined, with better hands,” said one longtime SEC scout. “He’s a matchup nightmare. He’ll walk in and start Day 1.”

Ricks is expected to enroll early and participate in spring football. Tennessee is already projecting him as a likely starter in 2025, with comparisons being made to early NFL draft picks.

Not everyone in Ricks’s inner circle was initially supportive of his decision to walk away from nearly $7 million.

According to family sources, several advisors and extended family members urged him to secure the bag. One even said he was passing on a “once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to set his family up forever.”

But Ricks and his parents stayed firm.

“He’s not chasing a quick check,” his father, Corey Ricks, told The Tennessean. “He’s building something bigger. It takes guts to walk away from money like that. But my son is fearless.”

Ricks’s decision has reignited the national debate surrounding NIL and the direction of college football. While many players have used the current system to secure life-changing compensation, critics have warned about the potential for money-first decisions to derail development and hurt long-term success.

By rejecting the money, Ricks becomes a rare example of a player prioritizing fit and football over finances — and many are calling it a turning point.

“College football needed this,” said former NFL receiver Keyshawn Johnson. “We needed a story where the kid chose culture, not cash. That’s how you build real dynasties.”

With Ricks on board, Tennessee now boasts one of the top wide receiver rooms in the nation. He joins four-star speedster Tre’Von Bell, slot standout Marcus Boyd, and returning sophomore standout Jacoby Randle. Paired with five-star quarterback recruit Bryce Peterman, Tennessee is loading up for a serious run at the SEC title — and maybe more.

The ripple effect is also already being felt. Multiple top-100 recruits reportedly reached out to Tennessee’s staff within hours of the news breaking, gauging interest in visiting Knoxville. It could create a domino effect for the rest of the 2025 cycle.

Social media lit up within seconds of Ricks’s announcement. Hashtags like #VolsGotJet and #NotAboutTheMoney trended nationwide. Tennessee fans flooded message boards and group chats, already projecting depth charts and imagining a new age of dominance.

Even Tennessee alum and NFL Hall of Famer Peyton Manning chimed in with a one-word tweet: “Respect.”

Ricks has already begun planning his transition to Knoxville. He’ll arrive in January as an early enrollee, giving him a full offseason with the Vols’ strength and conditioning program. Tennessee plans to use him in multiple formations — outside, in the slot, and even on special teams — to fully unlock his game-changing abilities.

Heupel reportedly told Ricks during his final visit: “We’ll build this offense around you if you’re ready to lead. Are you?”

Apparently, he was.

Jayden Ricks’s decision to decommit from West Virginia, reject a staggering NIL offer, and choose Tennessee is more than just a recruiting coup — it’s a cultural moment. It’s a reminder that for all the talk about money and marketing, there are still players who believe in fit, development, and the long game.

For Tennessee, this is a historic win.

For college football, it’s a storyline that will be remembered for years.

And for Ricks, it’s the start of a journey defined not by the size of his first contract — but by the size of his impact.