Sting Factor: Dominick Anderson's decommitment from Texas

Texas lost a big commitment from its 2018 recruiting class when four-star junior college tight end Dominick Anderson backed off his commitment. The move wasn’t exactly a shocker since Anderson’s commitment was viewed as quite a surprise when he pulled the trigger earlier this year. Either way, losing a player of his caliber is quite a blow, but just how big is it? We surveyed our panel of experts to get thoughts on the impact on a local, regional and national level.

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“Dominick Anderson shocked most of the recruiting world when he picked Texas over Alabama, and it has just felt for a while that the Longhorns might have trouble holding onto his commitment because he'd kind of gone into a hole ever since announcing his decision. Losing his pledge is a big hit for Texas because he's a player who would have almost certainly played right away and he had a great shot of being a day-one starter for next year's team. Tom Herman and Tim Beck's offense likes to feature the tight end position and the Longhorns just don't have that many bodies at the position, so Anderson was a key component to Texas' 2018 class. The only silver lining for Texas is that there are a couple young tight ends in the program who seem to have promise, and the Longhorns do have a commitment from Malcolm Epps in this year's class. But losing an experienced talent such as Anderson was a pretty tough hit for Texas.” – Jason Suchomel, Orangebloods.com

Sting factor: 7

“You can look at this two ways. On one hand, Anderson probably isn’t a program-changing talent. He’s incredibly athletic and versatile, but I’m not sure he’s the player that makes or breaks a class. On the other hand, the very pursuit of a junior college prospect indicates an immediate need for help at position. So, on that front, losing Anderson is a disaster. Replacing him in this class won’t be easy, but it’s not as though it’s going to cripple Texas, which has young tight ends on its roster, moving forward. “ – Rob Cassidy, Southeast/Junior College Recruiting Analyst, Rivals.com

Sting factor: 6

“I’ll give this a seven since they have Malcolm Epps in the class already. It’s not any higher than that but still hurts. It’s a position of need in the offense they are now running. Anderson's commitment was a recruiting upset of sorts for Texas and holding onto him would have been big. Originally I was pretty sure he was going to pick Alabama so when he picked Texas it was a surprise and a good one for the Longhorns. He’s college ready and could have impacted right away as well so that hurts.” – Mike Farrell, National Recruiting Director, Rivals.com

Sting factor: 7

What happens next: Because of Anderson’s low profile since committing, it’s tough to get a clear read on which way he might be leaning. Oregon was once involved but it looks like the ship has sailed and conventional wisdom would say Alabama stands to benefit the most from Anderson’s decision to take another look at his options. Anderson officially visited Tuscaloosa back in the spring and once had the Tide as his leader. Louisville may also factor into the picture as the Cardinals also hosted Anderson for a visit over the summer.