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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MORE STING FACTOR: Clay Wedin's decommitment from Michigan State
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THE STORYLINE
When Ashton Porter committed to Northwestern in June, the four-star defensive end cited the brotherhood he saw on his official visit and his relationships with the coaches.
The Cypress (Texas) Cypress Ranch standout hit it off with coach Pat Fitzgerald, defensive coordinator Jim O’Neil and especially defensive line coach Marty Long. Those bonds were going to be crucial throughout his recruitment.
But Porter backed off his pledge in recent days shortly after a visit to Michigan State. Plus, Northwestern’s struggles in the first half of the season and 1-5 record probably did not help much either.
Part of Porter’s commitment included his close ties with cousin Justin Cryer, who pledged to the Wildcats a few weeks before and remains in the class.
But Porter is back on the market and it looks like the four-star might be staying in the Big Ten unless another surprise move comes down.
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LOCAL REACTION
This is a big blow for Northwestern, though not at all surprising for a team that’s 1-5 and has lost 11 of 12 games dating back to last season. The writing was on the wall when Porter took an official visit to Michigan State last weekend, so this move was expected. The Wildcats don’t get many four-stars, and Porter has the potential to be a difference-maker at the next level.
However, they can take solace in the fact that they have two other four-star defensive ends in this class in Michael Kilbane and Mason Robinson. The greater fear is that Porter is the first domino to fall and that more could follow. - Louie Vaccher, WildcatReport.com
Sting factor: 8
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NATIONAL REACTION
Despite all the on-field struggles this season - and there are plenty of those - Northwestern is recruiting quite well and that’s pretty remarkable. The Wildcats not only have the No. 26 class in the team rankings but they’re also third in the Big Ten behind only Ohio State and Penn State. That’s amazing considering the 1-5 start and a team that truly has not been playing well in any phases.
Porter is a very talented kid whose upside is enormous and it will definitely hurt a lot if he ends up playing elsewhere in the Big Ten, but if Northwestern can settle this recruiting class and keep it intact, the Wildcats can still have a highly respectable class. Of course, Northwestern would have preferred to keep Porter but the Wildcats have lots of talent in this class and accumulating more heading into the Early Signing Period is crucial. - Adam Gorney, National Recruiting Director
Sting factor: 6
