Sting Factor: Aliou Bah flips from Florida State to UGA
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 one to 10, with one being no big deal and 10 being a catastrophic hit.
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THE STORYLINE
Through the spring and summer, Florida State was arguably the hottest school on the recruiting circuit.
Elite players were visiting Tallahassee. Nearly the entire Seminoles’ class committed from April to August including four-star offensive lineman Aliou Bah from Bradenton (Fla.) IMG Academy.
Landing the versatile four-star was big for many reasons. Florida State beat Florida, Penn State, Texas and others for the 6--foot-5, 329-pound prospect who can play either tackle or guard. His commitment was also one of many that looked like Florida State was getting back on the right track.
But over the weekend, Bah backed off his pledge. On Monday, he committed to Georgia.
Florida State needs recruiting momentum to continue. Five-star Travis Hunter took another visit to Georgia over the weekend but also said he’s locked in with FSU. Others are taking trips or could get flipped as well.
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LOCAL REACTION
Bah is a great player but let's also be real this has been trending away from FSU for a while. He didn't attend an FSU game and seemed to go silent in recruiting after that Georgia official visit. Loss is a six because he's a good talent. – Michael Langston, Warchant.com
Sting factor: 6
NATIONAL REACTION
Losing Bah specifically hurts because he’s a lineman who is very comfortable playing inside or outside and has the talent to do both. The Seminoles need to continue to build up depth – and talent – along the offensive line and Bah was going to help there. Also, losing a player from IMG does not help since so many elite players come from that program.
The other concern is this: Bah got out early and others will follow. Florida State has looked good at times this season but also started with four straight losses and there’s no question coaches from around the country see that flips are possible.
There have been some really talented players back off their pledges to FSU this cycle including four-star DL Nyjalik Kelly and now Bah. This is an unfortunate loss but not a catastrophic blow for the Seminoles. If coach Mike Norvell is on the hot seat or Hunter flips to Georgia, then the class could take even more major losses. For now, this is a big loss but doesn’t bring down the house. – Adam Gorney, Rivals National Recruiting Director
Sting factor: 7