Sting Factor: Kelvon McBride's flip from Vanderbilt to NC State
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
Getting an excellent education and playing in the SEC were two major considerations when Kelvon McBride committed to Vanderbilt in the summer following his official visit.
And that pledge stuck until just days ago when the three-star from Mobile (Ala.) Cottage Hill Christian Academy flipped his commitment to NC State.
The Wolfpack weren’t involved as early as some schools but this one was not completely unexpected as coach Dave Doeren’s club had made a play for McBride for some time.
McBride, who’s ranked as a safety but is expected to play outside linebacker in college, visited NC State for its game against Boston College.
There was a chance the three-star was going to visit Vanderbilt again this past weekend for the Tennessee matchup but instead by mid-week, the Cottage Hill Christian Academy standout had decided to flip his pledge to the ACC program.
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LOCAL REACTION
McBride flipping to NC State definitely stings for Vanderbilt, but the writing had been on the wall for a while now. The Commodores' staff did a great job of identifying him as a Power Five prospect during spring evaluations, extending an offer back in April. He returned for an official with Vanderbilt in early June, committing shortly afterward. NC State offered in mid-August and eventually got him on its campus for an official for the Boston College game earlier this month.
A tough loss for Vanderbilt when it comes to filling a need at outside linebacker in this year's class, but I think they've been prepared for this situation for quite a while now. - Sean Williams, VandySports.com
Sting factor: 6
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NATIONAL REACTION
Vanderbilt has focused a lot of its recruiting efforts this cycle on the offensive side of the ball which left a thinner margin of error for players on defense. McBride has special qualities because of his length, athleticism and ranginess plus his versatility is definitely something special – he plays both ways in high school and could be a safety or an outside linebacker in college. Qualities like that don’t come along often and the Commodores need a lot of help to become more competitive in the SEC.
This decision didn’t come as a complete surprise so it doesn’t sting as much as if it came out of nowhere but a player like McBride would have helped Vanderbilt’s defense a lot. - Adam Gorney, National Recruiting Director
Sting factor: 7