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 1-10, with one being no big deal and 10 being a catastrophic hit.
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THE SITUATION
Jacarius Clayton was committed to Mississippi State for more than two years.
But as his recruitment picked up even more in recent months and the four-star defensive end from Tupelo, Miss. saw signing day getting closer, Clayton decided to reopen his recruitment in recent days.
Clayton took a visit to Arizona State recently but one day after backing off his pledge to the Bulldogs, the four-star visited Ole Miss and the Rebels are now considered one of the front-runners in his recruitment.
It would not be shocking to see Clayton make a pledge to Ole Miss at some point. However, the Tupelo standout could take his time, review all the programs involved and draw this out a little more. Plus, others could get involved now that his two-year commitment to Mississippi State is no more.
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LOCAL REACTION
"The loss of any four-star recruit is a big deal in Starkville. Add in the fact that Jacarius Clayton, a jumbo-sized athlete, is at a school notorious for sending kids to Mississippi State.
"Clayton committed to the Bulldogs early on, and for a while seemed to be completely locked in on his decision. A recent visit to Arizona State seems to have opened his mind up to the world of possibilities outside of Mississippi, which can be a double-edged sword on many levels.
"With that being said, Clayton is someone that the staff will look to continue recruiting, but to lose his commitment less than three weeks into June is troubling, to say the least." – Russell Johnson, BulldogBlitz.com
Sting factor: 8
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NATIONAL REACTION
"This is tough for Mississippi State. Not only was Clayton committed to the Bulldogs for so long but he was the second-best strong-side defensive end in the state and coach Mike Leach and his staff need to keep players like him home. This could be compounded even more if the Tupelo standout ends up going to Ole Miss, which certainly looks like a real possibility at this juncture.
"There is still time to get Clayton back in the fold and he obviously likes a whole lot about Mississippi State to make an early pledge and stay committed this long but after this visit to Oxford, it looks like Ole Miss could be in the driver’s seat now." – Adam Gorney, Rivals National Recruiting Director
Sting factor: 7
