Sting Factor: James Foster's decommitment from Missouri

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Missouri’s 2017 season hasn’t gone as planned on the field and now the Tigers are running into problems on the recruiting trail as well, losing a commitment from three-star quarterback commitment James Foster. The dual-threat prospect out of Alabama had been committed since the spring and attributed his decision to back off his pledge to the Tigers struggles on the field. However, one would think it has plenty to do with new interest, as schools like LSU and Florida State have both started to recruit Foster after each program missed out on five-star Justin Fields. So how big is the loss of Foster to the Tigers? We surveyed out panel of experts to get thoughts on the impact on a local, regional and national level.

“Due to the position, this one is a significant blow Missouri's recruiting class. Foster was looked at as the face of the class when he committed back in the spring, especially when it came to influencing other Montgomery-area talent that Missouri had targeted. Unfortunately, with the 2-5 start and rumors surrounding the job security with the current coaching staff played major factors in Foster's decision. Behind Drew Lock, who will most likely return for his senior season next year, the Tigers feature a quarterback roster that includes Jack Lowary, Hayden Rymer and former three-star Taylor Powell. Foster has the type of abilities to come in and become the starter after Lock's time is done at Missouri. A re-commitment is always possible, especially if the Tigers can finish strong, but for now I would say it's unlikely.” -Sean Williams, PowerMizzou.com

Sting factor: 8

“James Foster was a key piece of this Missouri class, so this one hurts. The decommitment did not come as a shock, so that takes a tiny bit of the sting factor out of it, but he is a quarterback, he was one of their top commitments, and he was in communication with numerous other Tiger commits and targets around him since he committed. He was one of three Missouri commitments out of Montgomery (Ala.) on their commitment list this time a month ago, but all have now decommitted. Foster was the most significant one of the three. He was never all in with Missouri, but with the season they are having, combined with the worries of coaching changes there and the fact that new offers are starting to flow in, Foster decided to go another direction. Do not look for Missouri to be a factor in his final decision. He had thought about this for weeks and decided to act on it Thursday. Missouri will have a very tough time trying to sign another quarterback with Foster's ability and upside.” – Chad Simmons, Southeast Recruiting Analyst, Rivals.com

Sting factor: 8

“I’ll give Foster a nine in the loss category because it’s so late in the cycle, the Tigers liked what he could bring to the table so much and Missouri can’t afford to lose any talent in the deep south being on the outside a bit in SEC recruiting. This one hurts quite a bit as they will need to scramble to replace him if they decide to in 2018 and they could have used his commitment to help make more inroads into Alabama.” – Mike Farrell, National Recruiting Director, Rivals.com

Sting factor: 9

What happens next: With limited options on the quarterback market Foster will quickly become a highly-coveted prospect for several programs. LSU recently offered and Foster is already planning an official visit and Alabama, Auburn and Florida State have all been in contact. Missouri will obviously try to get Foster back on campus, but with heavy interest from major programs closer to home, the Tigers will be fighting an uphill battle. Expect more offers to come Foster’s way as his play this fall has only raised his profile.