ACC Spotlight: Biggest decommitments of the 2023 cycle
Exactly 20 prospects have already decommitted from ACC programs this recruiting cycle and historically there will be many others prior to signing day. Today, we continue a weeklong series looking at the most impactful ones so far.
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Gabriel Harris’ decommitment from Florida State and pledge to Georgia
Harris is not expected to play at least early in his senior season as a hardship waiver was denied which is unfortunate since he’s such a talented prospect. The four-star is a physically dominant and devastating player who embraces the role of playing with violence off the edge and getting players on the ground.
It was a massive recruiting win for the Seminoles in February 2021 but by early June, Harris had backed off that pledge. He has since committed to Georgia as the Bulldogs keep loading up.
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Cedric Baxter’s decommitment from Florida State and pledge to Texas
The four-star running back committed to Florida State in his sophomore year which seems so long ago and said he and his father grew up loving the Seminoles, plus Baxter really loved the then-new coaching staff in Tallahassee.
That pledge lasted nearly nine months until the Orlando (Fla.) Edgewater standout reopened his recruitment and had every program in the country coming after him. Earlier this month, Baxter committed to Texas over Texas A&M, Miami, Florida and others.
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Nathaniel Joseph’s flip from Clemson to Miami
Joseph’s previous commitment to Clemson was huge for two reasons: It showed that coach Dabo Swinney and his staff could dip into South Florida for one of the best receivers in the class and secondly the Miami (Fla.) Edison speedster would have been a welcomed addition in a receiving corps that has a lot of outside threats but not many in the slot.
Joseph stayed with the Tigers for about nine months but the new staff at Miami plus some pressure to stay closer to home convinced Joseph that flipping to the Canes would be the best move.
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Chris Parson’s flip from Florida State to Mississippi State
A commitment that lasted nearly a year was not enough time for the Seminoles to hold onto Parson as he backed off his pledge last month and has since committed to Mississippi State.
Florida State was the dream school growing up and Parson talked highly of the Seminoles’ coaching staff during the Elite 11 but connections at Mississippi State, playing in the SEC and the opportunity to throw the ball so often were some factors in his flip.
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Andy Jean’s decommitment from Miami and pledge to Florida
Months after backing off his Miami pledge, Jean chose to visit Florida instead of heading over to Coral Gables this summer and he ended up committed to the Gators. It’s a bitter in-state rivalry for sure but the Miami Northwestern standout loved the coaching staff and the attention paid to him while in Gainesville.
Florida won out over other SEC schools and the Hurricanes although Jean is not opposed to taking some visits in the fall.
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Boubacar Traore’s decommitment from Boston College
Traore was committed to Boston College and it looked like a major steal for the Eagles but once Notre Dame offered and got seriously involved it almost became inevitable that he would end up with the Irish.
The four-star defensive end from West Roxbury (Mass.) Catholic Memorial is not necessarily considered a flip since he took many weeks to commit to Notre Dame but once those coaches put the hammer down, Traore was bound for South Bend.
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Shelton Lewis’ decommitment from Pitt and pledge to Clemson
Lewis’ decision to back off his Pitt pledge was not at first because of Clemson as he was looking at North Carolina and Arkansas mainly while committed to the Panthers. Then Clemson got involved by inviting him down for the All-In Cookout and things took off from there. Lewis basically chose Clemson over the Tar Heels but Pitt was also being considered late in the game.
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Randy Pittman’s decommitment from Florida State
After being committed to Florida State for more than a year, the four-star tight end from Lynn Haven (Fla.) Mosley backed off his pledge in June and has remained open in his recruitment. Pittman made that decision following a visit to UCF and the four-star had also visited Florida.
The Gators and others are definitely major players here but it also might not be shocking to see him re-commit to FSU possibly.
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Reid Mikeska’s decommitment from Clemson and pledge to Miami
Mikeska was committed to Clemson for a month - and during that time is when so many offers flooded in that the three-star tight end from Cypress (Texas) Bridgeland figured he committed to the Tigers too early.
It came down to Miami and Oklahoma for Mikeska, who canceled a visit to Florida right before his decision, and the Hurricanes won out. Mikeska and four-stars Riley Williams and Jackson Carver are the three tight ends committed to Miami.
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Martel Hight’s flip from Louisville to Vanderbilt
When Hight visited Vanderbilt in early June, he was still committed to Louisville but shortly after he backed off that pledge and picked the Commodores. Louisville is recruiting incredibly well this cycle but Hight will be missed mainly because of his versatility and athleticism on both sides of the ball. The three-star is also a multi-sport athlete and players like that can be used all over the field.