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
Jelani McDonald committed to Oklahoma State in July and it was a big recruiting victory for the Cowboys as they identified an under-recruited multi-sport star at Waco (Texas) Connally and landed his pledge.
Despite the Pokes’ success this season on the field - and after beating Texas last weekend - McDonald decided to back off his pledge to Oklahoma State while saying it was still the top school in his recruitment.
But the timing is curious especially after McDonald visited Texas for its game against Iowa State and is planning a return trip to Austin as well.
The three-star prospect who plays quarterback and defensive back in high school but is projected to play defense at the next level said Ole Miss, Oregon and Texas A&M have also been reaching out.
Following McDonald’s decommitment from the Cowboys, they now find themselves at No. 76 nationally and second-to-last in the conference recruiting rankings with only 10 pledges.
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LOCAL REACTION
McDonald was one of the more highly-regarded verbals in Oklahoma State's 2023 class. On top of that, it is going to be a small class overall. Given those two things, McDonald's decision to open things up definitely stings. He says OSU is still his top school and hasn't flipped anywhere else, which helps mitigate the sting a bit. When the primary competition is Texas on a Texan, that often doesn't go in the Cowboys' favor. - Jeff Johnson, OStateIllustrated.com
Sting factor: 6
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NATIONAL REACTION
Right now, Oklahoma State and Kansas are the only two Big 12 teams without a four-star commitment but I’d venture to guess many of the players in coach Mike Gundy's class are underrated and at the very least very good fits for what he wants to do on offense and defense. But losing McDonald hurts because of his versatility, I love multi-sport stars especially those in basketball and track and that’s why McDonald’s commitment was so important. It’s not a complete back-breaker especially as the early signing period approaches and so much is going to change but if the Waco Connally standout ends up in Texas’ class then this one is going to sting a little more. - Adam Gorney, National Recruiting Director
Sting factor: 7
