In the second act of the three-day Early Signing Period, Frank Gore Jr., FAU and Southern Miss served as the main characters in one of the biggest flips of the day.
Back in June of this year, Gore Jr., the son of ex-Miami standout Frank Gore (pictured), committed to play for FAU. That, though was when Lane Kiffin was head coach. Since that verbal commitment six months ago, Kiffin left for the Ole Miss job.
Wednesday, the first day of the Early Signing Period, came and went with Gore not putting pen to paper. Late Thursday morning, however, the running back announced on Twitter that he had committed... to Conference USA rival Southern Miss. A short time later, Gore’s new school confirmed his addition to the roster.
Here. We. Go. 💫
— Southern Miss Football (@SouthernMissFB) December 19, 2019
Welcome to Hattiesburg, @stn_2lit‼️ #SMTTT pic.twitter.com/RNCCi2cpS0
Gore had taken an official visit to Southern Miss on Dec. 6. The next day, FAU won the Conference USA championship and, an hour later, Kiffin was confirmed as the next Ole Miss head coach.
A three-star 2020 prospect, Gore Jr. was rated as the No. 65 running back in the country and the No. 129 player at any position in the state of Florida on 247Sports.com‘s composite board. The Miami product is the highest-rated member of the Golden Eagles’ class this cycle. He’s also one of just three high schoolers to sign as the other 11 are JUCO transfers.
“I thought Frank was a guy that fit our system really well,” Southern Miss head coach Jay Hopson said. “He’s got explosive ability. Just turn on the film and watch it, it tells the tale. We’re extremely excited. I told Frank Sr. we’re ecstatic to have his son in the program.”
Gore’s father, incidentally, is still a running back in the NFL. In his 14th season, the elder Gore has rushed for 558 yards and two touchdowns for the Buffalo Bills this year. Last month, Gore passed Barry Sanders for third on the NFL’s all-time rushing list.