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
Randon Fontenette committed to Utah in July and it was a big recruiting victory for the Utes since they dipped into Texas for a four-star prospect. His pledge continued a long string of talented players in the secondary heading to Salt Lake City.
But in recent days, the Freeport (Texas) Brazosport standout backed off his pledge to the Utes as TCU and Vanderbilt have now emerged as the more serious contenders in his recruitment.
Defensive back recruiting is definitely no problem at Utah and after the Utes landed a pledge from Kahuku, Hawaii, three-star safety Brock Fonoimoana in August, there were some rumblings that Fontenette could be looking at other options.
It certainly has not hurt TCU’s chances with the in-state prospect that it has been playing so well this season and some signs point to the Horned Frogs being the main player for the four-star prospect.
Now back on the market, Fontenette has been hearing from Oklahoma, Texas and Notre Dame so there is clearly significant interest in him.
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LOCAL REACTION
Fontenette’s decommitment hurts Utah due to the fact that they told him he was the only safety they would be taking. He took that seriously enough that when Utah got a commitment from Brock Fonoimoana — who is expected to serve an LDS mission first — Fontenette inquired with the Utah staff.
The reality is that Utah churns out safeties on a yearly basis under Morgan Scalley. Utah is also set at safety for at least the next one to three years. The decommitment was 100-percent Fontenette’s decision. Fontenette should go on to a successful college career, but Utah won’t miss a beat at the safety spot. He’ll be another team’s gain, but not Utah’s loss — although Utah would have loved to have had him. - Alex Markham, UteNation.com
Sting factor: 6
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NATIONAL REACTION
Fontenette would have been welcomed with open arms at Utah because he is really talented, he has ranginess and athletic ability, and he’d fit in really well with the Utes. Plus, recruiting Texas is always an important aspect of success and this would have been a big coup for the Utah staff.
But the Utes will live. With TCU, Texas, Oklahoma and others getting more involved, it’s not surprising that the Freeport (Texas) Brazosport standout is looking elsewhere. Utah will be loaded in the secondary because coach Kyle Whittingham and his staff do a phenomenal job of managing their roster so while Fontenette would have been a great piece to the recruiting puzzle, the Utes will be just fine. - Adam Gorney, National Recruiting Director
Sting factor: 5
