Tom Lemming's phone has been ringing off the hook lately. Most of the calls have been from high school seniors. Confused, irritated and mystified, they wonder what to do next.

Lemming, ESPN.com's recruiting analyst and one of the nation's top high school recruiting experts, is the unbiased voice many top football recruits turn to in this time of college coaching craziness. With national signing day just over two months away, the tension is starting to build. And if you don't believe the recent rash of firings and hirings has led to indecision among the future of tomorrow, you're wrong.

"Most kids are beginning to second guess things at this point of the year anyway," Lemming said. "But kids that committed to a school undergoing a coaching change, they are definitely wavering. It's one of the reason I tell these kids not to commit so early."

The trickle down effect is especially evident at Alabama, where the Crimson Tide have already lost two major commitments, both from in-state recruits. Offensive lineman Von Ewing has verbally committed to Georgia, while defensive lineman Brandon Washington has chosen LSU.

	“	Most kids are beginning to second guess things at this point of the year anyway. But kids that committed to a school undergoing a coaching change, they are definitely wavering. It's one of the reason I tell these kids not to commit so early. ”
		— ESPN.com recruiting analyst Tom Lemming

According to Lemming, another Alabama recruit, quarterback Brodie Croyle, the son of former Tide All-American John Croyle was all but committed to Alabama, but is now reconsidering.

Recruiting is a big reason why so much pressure is put on athletics directors to fill the job as quickly as possible. In living rooms all across the country right now, current college coaches are licking their chops at the star athletes that have become available at schools mired with indecision.

"These guys take advantage of this big-time, there's major backstabbing going on," Lemming said. "You know Alabama is getting it from their rivals, especially with the rumors of an NCAA investigation. It goes from very subtle to right over your head. They ask, 'Why would you want to play there? It's going to be 2-3 years of probation, you'll never get in a bowl, never be on TV.' This is the time of year you get hammered."

Two years ago, after being hired by Iowa to replace Hayden Fry, Baltimore Ravens assistant head coach Kirk Ferentz found himself balancing duties between the Ravens and Hawkeyes until the NFL season came to an end.

It meant flying to Iowa City on Fridays for weekend visits and then meeting back up with the Ravens prior to each Sunday's game. Every night after practice, Ferentz would spend at least an hour on the phone talking to recruits at their home.

"It was tricky, there's no doubt about it. Obviously I was torn in both ways a bit, but there was nothing else I could do," Ferentz said. "It was a critical time."

One school that Lemming feels will have some PR work to do this year is USC. Not so much because of a prolonged coaching search, but rather the short three-year span Paul Hackett was given at the high-profile school. Prior to Hackett's dismissal, the incoming recruiting class was among the nation's Top 5.

"They were on their way to a great recruiting year, but you're going to see some defections there," Lemming said. "Firing Hackett is seen as sort of a panic move and parents and coaches don't like that. It's going to be seen as administration that has no loyalty."

One of those potential defectors is Shaun Cody, Lemming's Defensive Player of the Year. The Trojans had a big lead in the race for Cody until Hackett's firing. Now, schools like UCLA, Notre Dame, Ohio State and Colorado are back in the hunt.

On the flip side of all this is a school like West Virginia, which already replaced the retiring Don Nehlan with Clemson offensive coordinator Rich Rodriguez. That timely decision has helped the Mountaineers keep commitments from each of their four eligible in-state recruits.

"Rich is going to be successful, no doubt about it," Lemming said. "He's a proven commodity. And the athletic director down there did a great job targeting his man and getting him as soon as the year was over. That's how you'd like it to work out."

Lemming said he thinks athletics directors pay too little attention to the importance of recruiting. Not only do they sometimes drag their feet, hurting the current class, but they hire a coach without the savvy to sell the school, hurting classes down the road.

"Recruiting is really a complicated thing and the guys that know how to play the game are successful," Lemming said. "ADs a lot of times don't let it play a part and that's why there's such a constant change in the business. It's not like the NFL where you don't need to bring players in."

Wayne Drehs is a staff writer at ESPN.com.