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Sting Factor: Jaren Handy decommits from LSU

Jarren Handy
Jarren Handy (Chad Simmons)

Every time 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, regional and national level. To quantify the “sting” of each de-commitment, we assign a score from 1-10, with one being no big deal and 10 being a catastrophic hit.

MORE: Farrell's Three-Point Stance | SEC quarterback recruiting

CLASS OF 2019 RANKINGS: Rivals250 | State | Position | Team

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THE SITUATION

Earlier this month, LSU fans were celebrating after two of the top prospects in the state of Mississippi announced their plans to commit to the Tigers. But before the calendar even changed to April, the highest-ranking of those two pledges, four-star defensive end Jaren Handy, is back on the market. In a tweet posted last week, Handy said he plans to “trust the recruiting process and be sure to not rush anything,” implying that he might have been too hasty in making his initial commitment to LSU.

Despite it being so early in the 2019 recruiting cycle, losing a highly-ranked target such as Handy so early still hurts. But how much does the loss of Taylor truly hurt the class? We ask our experts to weigh in on just how much losing him stings and also take a look at which schools might benefit going forward.

LOCAL REACTION

“When Handy committed to LSU following a Saturday junior day, there was some excitement but also some skepticism. The weekend had many immediately remembering back to early in 2017 when Adam Anderson and two others from Rome, Ga., committed. Handy is a big-time defensive end, but he's from an area of Mississippi where LSU has not had any history of recruiting. I don’t know anyone who felt that commitment would last.” – Mike Scarborough, TigerBait.com

Sting factor: 4

REGIONAL REACTION

“Handy was never all in with LSU, so this can’t sting too bad. He was on a high from his first visit to Baton Rouge and he even made it clear just hours after he committed that he was still open. LSU coaches and the fans that keep up with recruiting expected this to happen sooner than later. He could end up back with LSU, but he is going to explore his options and really slow things down. Handy is a high-end talent, so it’s tough for anyone to lose a commitment like this, but he was never set on LSU.” – Chad Simmons, Southeast Recruiting Analyst

Sting factor: 2

NATIONAL REACTION

“This is a very talented kid at a key position and really would have helped momentum in Mississippi. LSU has been criticized for the recruitment of defensive linemen in the past few years and this loss hurts in that respect.” – Mike Farrell, National Recruiting Director, Rivals.com

Sting factor: 7

WHAT'S NEXT?

Handy has said he will continue to consider the Tigers going forward but his spring and summer figures to be filled with trips to programs around the Southeast. First up on his schedule is a trip to Auburn set for this weekend and Handy has also said Alabama, Georgia and Florida are schools he would like to see soon.

Much like any prospect from the Magnolia State, Ole Miss and Mississippi State both figure to be major factors in Handy’s recruitment going forward. Expect him to take a much more deliberate approach before making another commitment.

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