Sting Factor: Kamal Bonner's decommitment from Georgia Tech
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
With any coaching change, there will be significant movement in a recruiting class and some more news came Tuesday when three-star defensive back Kamal Bonner backed off his Georgia Tech pledge that he made in June.
The Moultrie (Ga.) Colquitt County standout had developed a strong relationship with former running backs coach Mike Daniels but he’s left the program and that further put Bonner’s commitment to the Yellow Jackets into question.
After already taking officials to Georgia Tech and Memphis, the three-star standout said he’s looking at NC State and Wake Forest as possible trip destinations but now that he’s officially back on the market, more schools could also get involved.
Later in the day, Georgia Tech also lost the commitment of three-star running back Trey Cornist out of Cincinnati (Ohio) Winton Woods. The feeling is that more changes could be coming to the Georgia Tech recruiting class as a new coaching staff is figured out.
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LOCAL REACTION
Once it became clear that former head coach Geoff Collins' days were numbered, the coaches on staff at Georgia Tech placed an emphasis on retaining several current commits. Recently, their efforts to lock down Colquitt County DB/LB Kamal Bonner came up short, as he made the decision to re-open his recruitment.
Even if the staff had been able to keep Bonner committed at this time, the pursuit from Florida, NC State and several others would have had Georgia Tech fans sweating. As GT looks to move forward, replacing Bonner is going to be a tough task, no matter who the next coach ends up being. The current staff will continue to recruit him, while also evaluating other options at the position. - Russell Johnson, JacketsOnline.com
Sting factor: 8
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NATIONAL REACTION
Georgia Tech has not seen a mass exodus of its recruiting class following the departure of Geoff Collins earlier this season and while some others might leave as well in the coming days and weeks, this is what’s expected when change happens at the top. Relationships are formed and bonds are made and then the coach is fired and prospects start looking around - especially the ones who have many other options.
Bonner is a very talented and versatile player who is basically an outside linebacker now and has an extra gear to get people on the ground. If he stays in the ACC, this one hurts a little more but these decommitments are going to happen as Georgia Tech looks to rebuild. - Adam Gorney, National Recruiting Director
Sting factor: 7