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
DeCarlos Nicholson was a big-time recruiting victory for Mississippi State last month.
The in-state high school prospect who now plays at Perkinston (Miss.) Gulf Coast C.C. is a 6-foot-3, 200-pound recruit who was going to give the Bulldogs some help in the secondary and someone that big with skills like that don’t come along very often.
But his commitment lasted just over a month. Nicholson recently backed off his pledge to Mississippi State and it looks like Florida State and Kentucky are two programs that will get visits from him this season.
If there’s good news for the Bulldogs in this scenario, it’s that they’re already loaded with talented commits who can play defensive back.
Mississippi State has already landed pledges from defensive backs Donovan Johnson, Tyler Woodard, Jourdan Thomas, Wesley Miller, Kylon Griffin and Jaterrious Elam in this class so the Bulldogs definitely have the quantity of players at those positions so far in this recruiting class.
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LOCAL REACTION
“At nearly any other position on the field, losing a commitment from a JUCO talent would be a major blow to the class. Mississippi State loaded up early and often at the cornerback position in the 2022 class, and though Nicholson’s departure may surprise some, he may not be the only one that falls off the board at the position. Landing Cedar Grove’s Donovan Johnson was a major coup, and despite projections he may end up a safety, he fills the hole left by Nicholson’s departure.” - Russell Johnson, BulldogBlitz.com
Sting factor: 5
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NATIONAL REACTION
“This is a decently important loss because even though Mississippi State has plenty of defensive backs committed in this class, Nicholson was a JUCO prospect who could bring immediate help and experience to the back end of the secondary. He was only committed for about five weeks, though, so in some ways it’s better to lose him now than much later in the recruiting process when there is no time to find a replacement or everyone else is committed. It sounds like Florida State probably has the edge for him so going to the ACC minimizes this a little more than if he ends up at Kentucky and then the Bulldogs might have to face him. Help in the secondary is needed - and Nicholson could have provided it - but Mississippi State has plenty of other help coming.” - Adam Gorney, Rivals National Recruiting Director
Sting factor: 5
