The month of February began with the class of 2019 wrapping up and officially signing, and the attention quickly turned to the class of 2020. With the the first opportunity to sign less than 10 months away, some prospects are already rethinking their early commitments and heading back on the market to test the waters.
With that in mind, we look back at the February decommitments at Power Five programs and rank them in order of “sting” to the programs that lost the verbal commitments.
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Jacquelin Roy decommits from LSU
Roy, a lifelong LSU fan and Baton Rouge native, committed to the Tigers at the start of his junior season, essentially putting an end to his recruitment before it really started to heat up. Things seemed to be going well between the two sides before he surprised many by announcing his decommitment late Thursday evening. Schools such as Texas A&M and Texas are involved and it would be a major loss for the Tigers to see a talented player from their backyard slip out of state - or even worse, end up playing for another SEC West team.
Sting Factor: 9
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Carson Beck decommits from Alabama
The Tide targeted Beck very early in the process and landed his commitment in June of 2017. At that time, Beck was virtually unknown on the national scene, but after a strong junior season his stock rose in the eyes of several other schools, including Florida and Miami. That new interest from the Sunshine State schools, combined with the number of coaching changes for the Tide, led to Beck decommitting.
Sting Factor: 8
Keyvone Lee decommits from Florida
One of the nation’s top running backs, Lee committed to the Gators last spring with little fanfare. Since then, he’s become a name high on the board of several college programs, including LSU and Alabama. Lee said that he is still high on the Gators, but wants to head into his senior year uncommitted. While the Gators are still involved, losing his commitment and having to battle with several other major programs is a blow.
Sting Factor: 8
Ty'kieast Crawford decommits from Baylor
The Bears did an excellent job of scouting and evaluating Crawford. They were the first major program to offer him and quickly landed his commitment last summer. But after an excellent junior season, Crawford saw his stock rise quickly, with several programs jumping into the mix, including Arkansas, Florida State and Tennessee. With so many new options, Crawford backed off his pledge, and while the Bears will try to claw their way back into the picture, this one hurts.
Sting Factor: 8
Anthony Richardson decommits from Florida
Richardson committed to Florida over the summer and seemed poised to be the face of the Gators' 2020 class. But the Gators continued to recruit other prospects at the position, including Beck, while Richardson was being recruited by other programs as well. Assuming Florida can land Beck, losing Richardson won’t be that big of a deal. But if Beck were to go elsewhere and Richardson ends up at somewhere like Georgia, this could end up stinging even worse.
Sting Factor: 7
E. Jai Mason decommits from Mississippi State
Mason just committed to Mississippi State in November, and considering he is an in-state prospect, it was pretty surprising to see him go back on the market so quickly. But based on the comments he made when he announced his decision, it sounds as if he wants to take more time to experience the recruiting process while uncommitted. The Bulldogs will still be involved going forward and will surely want to reel him back into the fold.
Sting Factor: 6
Koy Moore decommits from USC
When Moore committed to USC over the summer, it opened eyes around the country. USC reaching into Louisiana for an elite prospect and beating out SEC programs? That’s what used to happen in the Pete Carroll era. But after a 5-7 season for the Trojans and plenty of new interest from schools around the country, Moore elected to go back on the market. The sting might be higher if it wasn’t for the fact that most expected Moore to decommit at some point anyway. LSU is a team to watch with Moore going forward.
Sting Factor: 5
Darvon Hubbard decommits from Ohio State
Originally from Ohio, Hubbard jumped at the chance to commit to the Buckeyes last summer. But with the departure of Urban Meyer and the shuffling of the Buckeyes staff, communication between the two sides waned over the past few months. That led to Hubbard backing off his decision, with chances of reconciliation not very likely.
Sting Factor: 4
Ben Gulbranson decommits from Cal
Gulbranson wasted no time committing to the Bears last year after impressing the staff and earning an offer. Heading into the fall, Gulbranson was expected to have a breakout season on the field after spending 2017 behind talented quarterback Cameron Rising. But his season was derailed by injuries and his productivity was limited. With a need at the position, the Bears started going after other quarterbacks and eventually the two sides parted ways.
Sting Factor: 3
Josh Griffis decommits from Florida
Griffis committed to the Gators all the way back in the fall of 2017, when Jim McIlwain was still heading the program and Griffis was attending a different high school. Flash forward to 2019, and Griffis is at IMG Academy, while Dan Mullen is coaching Florida. Ultimately, all those changes, combined with some new interest from other programs, led to the two sides parting ways. If Griffis ends up at Florida State, this could come back to haunt the Gators, but right now this was an amicable breakup.
Sting Factor: 3
