First and 10: Biggest Decommitments
Advertisement
That Baker flipped his commitment to Ohio State last month was not a surprise. That he committed to Florida in the first place was. Ohio State had been tabbed as the team to beat from the very early stages of Baker's recruitment. He is an in-state prospect who grew up following the Buckeyes and many around him are Buckeye fans. The fit seemed natural, so even after Baker's pledge to Florida in July there was the expectation that his recruitment would swing back in favor of the Ohio State. The coaching situation at Florida will get an unfair share of the blame for this decommitment; keeping Baker away from Columbus was always going to be a tough chore. - Midwest Analyst Josh Helmholdt.
3
QB
It was not surprising Barnett flipped his commitment but what shocked so many was the school Barnett picked. Over the summer, it became pretty clear that the Corona (Calif.) Santiago quarterback was about to make a decision to back off his Notre Dame pledge and it looked like he was headed to Oregon. However, a late unofficial visit to Alabama convinced Barnett that was the right fit for him and he's been happily committed to the Crimson Tide since June. He took an unofficial visit for the Florida game and will take his official trip for the Auburn showdown in a few weeks. - West Coast Analyst Adam Gorney
4
QB
People who follow college football recruiting love to watch the quarterback dominoes fall and Wimbush's flip from Penn State to Notre Dame was one of the biggest so far this cycle. Notre Dame had been looking for another big time arm ever since Blake Barnett flipped from Notre Dame to Alabama. Wimbush is a near perfect fit in Brian Kelly's offense but the Irish have a stacked quarterback depth chart so it could be tough for Wimbush to see early time. Penn State found their replacement when Tommy Stevens flipped from Indiana. - Mid-Atlantic Analyst Adam Friedman
5
DE
Last year at this time Ledbetter was a virtual unknown in the recruiting world, but after his junior film got out college coaches quickly fell in love with the massive defensive lineman. He, too, quickly fell in love with almost every program he visited and committed to the Tide in January. While it seemed like an ideal match, as Georgia began to recruit more of his close friends, Ledbetter found himself in Athens several times throughout the spring and summer. After his older brother transferred to Georgia in the summer and joined the Bulldogs' football team, Ledbetter did the expected and flipped to Georgia in August. He remains solidly committed and is one of the crown jewels of the Bulldogs' loaded defensive line class. - Wommack
6
DT
Roseboro was one of the first players to decommit from Michigan this season. The North Carolina native found a home at N.C. State shortly after parting ways with the Wolverines. It will be tough for Michigan to find a defensive lineman as talented as Roseboro to replace him. Roseboro has a great combination of defensive end speed and defensive tackle size and strength. At N.C. State, Roseboro will fit in well with a talented, young group of defensive linemen that has the potential to be one of the best in the ACC and the country. -Friedman
7
DB
Michigan to Undecided
Taylor's decommitment from Michigan was not a big surprise when it happened. It started with rumblings of him looking at schools like Ohio State and Virginia Tech. Now, Taylor has official visits scheduled to Ohio State, Penn State and LSU. When Taylor was committed to Michigan the Wolverine faithful had dreams of a starting defensive backfield featuring Taylor, Jabrill Peppers, Marcus Lewis and Tyree Kinnel. Now, Michigan is unsure of who their head coach will be next season and how their defensive backfield will turn out. - Friedman.
8
TE
Clark's decommitment from North Carolina was a major blow to a program that has done well utilizing receiving tight ends. It was a bit of a surprise when he originally committed to the Tar Heels because many people thought he was favoring Notre Dame, Michigan and others. Clark flipped to the Wolverines while on a visit with a number of commits and recruits present. His relationship with the Michigan staff, especially tight ends coach Dan Ferrigno, and his relationship with current Wolverine quarterback commit Alex Malzone was the tipping point for Clark. Clark is now wavering on his commitment to Michigan and has official visits set to USC (11/28), Texas (12/5), North Carolina (1/17) and South Carolina (1/24). - Friedman.
9
WR
Florida to Undecided
The 2012 football season saw Florida finish 11-2, with the Gators appearing to be on track to regaining their status as one of the perennial powers in the SEC. Recruiting momentum was high and Florida was securing commitments, including an early one from Phillips, a class of 2015 four-star receiver who chose Florida in July, 2013. Then, Florida's 2013 season happened. The Gators finished 4-8 and Phillips took a step back, decommitting in December. He noted Florida's offensive struggles as a reason and at the time said he'd use 2014 as a barometer to gauge his interest in Florida. While the Gators' defense has put forth a respectable effort, Florida's struggles on the offensive end have to be a turn-off for Phillips. Granted, the unit improved when replacing Jeff Driskel with Treon Harris, and perhaps Harris provides hope for Phillips. However, there's another true freshman quarterback in the Sunshine State that could provide even more hope for Phillips, and that's Miami quarterback Brad Kaaya. Earlier this month, Phillips named Auburn, Alabama, Florida State, LSU and Miami as his top choices. He will announce his decision at the Under Armour All America Game. - Southeast Analyst Adam Krohn
10
QB
USC was always the dream school for Town but he committed early to Alabama. He loved the history and tradition of the Crimson Tide but it was still a surprise since he grew up following the Trojans so closely. New coach Steve Sarkisian did a good job bringing Town back in the fold and the Ventura (Calif.) St. Bonaventure standout committed in January. He plans to enroll early. There is QB competition, though, since USC also took a commitment from San Clemente, Calif., four-star Sam Darnold this summer. - Gorney
Woody Womack
Southeast Recruiting Analyst
Click Here to view this Link.