Sting Factor: Addison Copeland's decommitment from Rutgers
When a major program loses a key recruit, Rivals.com takes a look at how big of a blow it is to the respective school, analyzing it from a local and national level. To quantify the “sting” of each decommitment, we assign a score from 1-10, with one being no big deal and 10 being a catastrophic hit.
*****
RIVAL VIEWS: Which program is off to the best 2022 start?
CLASS OF 2021 RANKINGS: Rivals250 | Position | Team | State
CLASS OF 2022 RANKINGS: Rivals250 | Position | Team | State
COVERAGE: Rivals Transfer Tracker | Rivals Camp Series
*****
THE STORYLINE
Addison Copeland III committed to Rutgers in September and stuck with the Scarlet Knights but when Notre Dame offered in recent days, the three-star receiver quickly made the decision to back off his pledge.
It looked like the Buffalo (N.Y.) Western Maritime standout could have flipped right to Notre Dame after the offer but Copeland said he wanted to reopen things to show coaches he was open to other opportunities.
The 2022 Rutgers recruiting class is off to a strong start and it’s also concentrated with some other receivers already in the fold and there has been an especially big focus on recruiting the offensive line.
Ranked as the fifth-best prospect in the New York, Copeland now has offers from BYU, Buffalo, Rutgers, Indiana, UMass and now Notre Dame.
There would be no shock if Copeland ends up in the Irish class because it was a huge offer, one he wanted and one that also surprised him. Rutgers is still recruiting him but getting back in the Scarlet Knight’s class could be tough - especially if more programs get involved in his recruitment.
LOCAL REACTION
“This decommitment definitely stings a little bit just because he was Rutgers’ first commitment in the 2022 class but, honestly, it’s not the biggest loss in the world. The Scarlet Knights have two other receiver commits in Jovanni Bermudez and Rashad Rochelle, both of which you could say are pretty close with Copeland talent-wise. Overall, not much of a sting factor here. Now, if it was one of the four offensive line commits in the class that would be a different story.” — Richie Schnyderite, TheKnightReport.com
Sting factor: 3
NATIONAL REACTION
“Copeland has good size and while he’s raw he has a lot of upside and could be a guy who emerges next season and starts an upward trajectory when it comes to skill and athleticism. This is a bigger deal than many think because he’s starting to get more and more attention and Rutgers found a gem that is now being stolen away.” — Mike Farrell, National Recruiting Director
Sting factor: 6