Pac-12 Spotlight: Biggest decommitments of 2023 cycle
Only nine prospects have decommitted from Pac-12 programs this recruiting cycle as commitment numbers are lower across the conference as well. Historically, there will be many others prior to signing day.
Today, we conclude a weeklong series looking at the most impactful ones so far in the Pac-12.
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Caleb Bryant’s decommitment from Utah
The Utes are not regulars in recruiting the state of Mississippi, but it looked coach Kyle Whittingham and his staff found a gem in Bryant, a four-star defensive tackle from Vicksburg, Miss., who committed to the Pac-12 power in June. But about two months later others had discovered Bryant as well, with new offers from USC and Oregon coming in. Plus, the in-state schools have gotten more involved and after a short pledge - but an impactful one - Bryant is back on the market.
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RJ Jones’ decommitment from Cal
The four-star safety from Bellflower (Calif.) St. John Bosco committed to Cal in February and had stuck with the Golden Bears all the way until mid-August, but his recruitment is now open again. Cal has had an unfortunate string of decommitments in recent months, led by Jones, who is now looking at Colorado, UCLA, Louisville and Oregon State. Jones also still has Cal on the list. A pipeline to powerhouse Bosco would have been nice, but it’s unlikely to come through Jones.
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Maliki Crawford ’s decommitment from UCLA and pledge to USC
It feels like so long ago that Crawford was committed to the Bruins as he made that decision in July 2021 and it lasted through late January, but that’s when he reopened his recruitment and looked around. The rumor was that USC was going to play an outsized role in his recruitment and that was the case as the long-armed and rangy defensive back picked the Trojans in early August. It’s not a flip because it was nearly a half of a year between commitments, but it does hurt since Crawford is staying in town.
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Naquil Bertrand’s decommitment from Colorado and pledge to Texas A&M
An early commitment to Colorado did not last as a lot of SEC teams started coming after him during the offseason and the Philadelphia Northeast three-star offensive lineman narrowed his choices to Georgia, Texas A&M, Syracuse, Auburn, Kentucky and Penn State. In early August, the 6-foot-7, 315-pound prospect committed to the Aggies as his earlier Colorado pledge seemed like a distant memory.
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Amos Talalele’s flip from Cal to USC
Talalele visited Cal and committed. That could have been the end of it. But the USC coaching staff stayed persistent with the three-star offensive lineman from Santa Clara, Calif., and convinced him to keep his visit with USC a few weeks later. Talalele decided to make the trip and that’s when he flipped his two-week-old pledge from Cal to the Trojans. At 6-foot-5 and 320 pounds, the Northern California offensive lineman is bringing a lot of skill and mass to USC’s offensive line. The Trojans' persistence paid off in getting him to campus.
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Armel Mukam’s flip from Stanford to Notre Dame
Mukam’s decision was not only surprising because he had only been pledged to Stanford for about two months and not many people usually pass up an opportunity to go to school there, but also because the three-star defensive end never publicly reported an offer from Notre Dame. The flip is significant because Mukam is a talented player with tons of upside and Stanford needs to reload along the defensive line. But the Cardinal are already doing well with pledges from Cameron Brandt, Hunter Clegg and Gavin Geweniger across the defensive line.
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Ashton Sanders’ decommitment from Cal
The three-star defensive tackle from Los Angeles Cathedral committed to Cal over Wisconsin in late June, and it was a major victory for the Golden Bears in beating out a perennial Big 10 power. But Sanders’ commitment would not even last two months as the three-star backed off his pledge in mid-August and it’s unclear now which schools are really coming the hardest after him.
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Johnny Thompson’s decommitment from USC
Thompson’s commitment to USC lasted from October 2021 to late January, but in the middle there was a coaching change and Thompson looked around at other options. Oregon intrigued the Westlake Village (Caif.) Oaks Christian standout and then Cal made a run at him, but the three-star has stayed quiet on the recruiting trail in recent months. Indiana, Colorado and Fresno State have been three schools recently involved.
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Carson Mott’s decommitment from Cal and pledge to Colorado
The three-star defensive end from Simi Valley, Calif., spent a decent amount of time with the Cal program in the time before his commitment. While his plan was to hold off longer, Mott picked the Golden Bears in early May over UNLV, San Jose State, Nevada and others But a few weeks later, there was a parting of ways as Mott reopened his recruitment and has since made his pledge to Colorado.