Five-star backs off Miami pledge in days following Georgia visit

Miami lost a pillar of its 2020 class on Tuesday afternoon, when wide receiver Leonard Manuel decided to back away from his commitment to the Hurricanes. It’s much too early to panic about pertaining to the class of 2020, but having a five-star remove himself from the fold is certainly less than ideal for the Hurricanes.

Manuel’s announcement came following a visit to Georgia and was made public with a tweet.

IN HIS WORDS:

Following his announcement, Manuel texted Rivals.com a list of teams now alive in his recruitment.

“It’s Georgia, LSU, Clemson, Penn State, Florida, Florida State, Texas, Tennessee, Nebraska and Miami,” the text read.

WHAT’S NEXT: Georgia has to be seen as the favorite here, as Manuel’s decision came on the heels of a visit to the school. Still, UGA won’t likely be the only school involved in his recruitment going forward. Manuel has a long list of offers that includes Florida State, USC, LSU and others in addition to the Bulldogs. The timetable on Manuel’s second commitment is hard to pin down, as it’s easy to imagine a world that includes a quick pledge to Georgia. It’s also possible that the five-star will take a few steps back and let his recruitment reset before making any sort of decision.