Sting Factor: Elliot Washington flips from Alabama to Penn State
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
Elliot Washington was the first player to commit to Alabama during its junior day in late January. It came as a little bit of a surprise, but the Crimson Tide took the pledge and it lasted until early July.
The Venice, Fla., four-star safety indicated that it might not have lasted even that long.
Washington visited Michigan State and it looked like the Spartans were in excellent shape to flip him from the Crimson Tide.
But the four-star also visited Penn State and a decision had to be made - and it looked like Alabama was not going to be under consideration and the Florida standout was going to head to the Big Ten.
In recent days, Washington picked the Nittany Lions.
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LOCAL REACTION
Washington made a surprise commitment to Alabama after attending the Tide earlier this year. His commitment appeared on shaky ground after a spring visit to Michigan State. His commitment had been labeled as ‘soft’ since his visits to Michigan State and Penn State. Washington did not return to Tuscaloosa in June. There has been an expectation of an eventual flip or decommitment. Alabama has a few other DB commitments in its class in Tony Mitchell and Brayson Hubbard. Mitchell is ranked as a corner, but he expects to play safety. The Crimson Tide have also prioritized Caleb Downs and Bryce Thornton as their key safety targets. There is a very strong chance for Alabama to add at least one of the two. Washington is a big win for the Nittany Lions, but doesn’t deliver much of a blow to Alabama’s class. - Andrew Bone, BamaInsider.com
Sting Factor: 2
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NATIONAL REACTION
When Washington committed at the junior day it came as a surprise to the Alabama coaches, but he is a legacy since his father played basketball in Tuscaloosa and the four-star is a talented player. So, why not take the early commitment and see how it works out? If he remains committed, great. If he looks around, that’s fine, too, because Alabama has other irons in the fire when it comes to recruiting defensive backs. The Sting Factor here would be much higher if Washington’s decision negatively impacts four-star defensive end Damon Wilson, his teammate at Venice, but it probably won’t as he looks at the Crimson Tide and others. Washington would have been nice to have in Alabama’s class, but many other elite safeties are knocking on the door. - Adam Gorney, Rivals national recruiting director
Sting Factor: 3