Sting Factor: The biggest decommitments in May

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RELATED: The biggest decommitments in April 2019

The first opportunity for prospects in the 2020 class to sign is less than seven months away, and 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 decommitments from Power Five programs in May and rank them in order of the “sting” to the programs that lost the verbal commitments.

The Wolfpack might have been the victim of their only quality early evaluation, as they landed Johnson in March only to lose him two month later after several other programs jumped in the mix. Since announcing his decommitment, Johnson has already visited Penn State and set another announcement date for next month. Losing a player of Johnson’s caliber hurts and it will even more if he commits elsewhere next month.

Sting factor: 8

One of the longest-tenured commits to go back on the market in May, Witt committed to the Gophers in November and didn’t show many signs of wavering. That is until his recruitment started to take off and programs such as Iowa and Iowa State entered the picture. After announcing his decommitment, he quickly set up officials to both schools and is likely to take other trips as well. Losing a long-tenured in-state commit hurts for the Gophers and it will hurt even more if he lands elsewhere in the Big Ten.

Sting factor: 8

Adams became a prime target for the Bulldogs early in the year and joined the school’s commitment list in February. But as the spring moved along several schools jumped into the mix for Adams, most notably, Arkansas. An offer from the Hogs and a visit to Fayetteville seemed to factor into Adams decision to decommit early in May. Because he’s an in-state prospect a reconciliation isn’t out of the picture, but if he were to land elsewhere in the SEC West it would be a big blow.

Sting factor: 7

Jackson committed to Tennessee in early April after a visit to Knoxville sold him on the Vols. As it turned out, Jackson’s pledge was short-lived after he backed off to his pledge to the program following his spring game. Jackson has said he made the decision in part because of his desire to take other visits and he has one set up to Maryland for later this month. Tennessee remains in the mix, but might have to look at other options as well.

Sting factor: 6

Griffin committed to the Bulldogs in November and surprised many when he backed off his pledge last month. The move likely signals another battle for an in-state prospect between the Bulldogs and Ole Miss, with Griffin also high on the Rebels board as well. His recruitment is going to be a fun one to follow, and it wouldn’t be at all surprising to see him back on the Mississippi State commitment list before all is said and done.

Sting factor: 5

The junior college prospect committed to Arizona State in March, just two weeks after picking up an offer from the Sun Devils. But less than two months after making his commitment -- and after picking up offers from Oregon and Oklahoma -- Lemon is back on the market. Lemon said after decommitting that he felt like he jumped the gun and will now take a slower approach while exploring his new options. The Sun Devils did a nice job of finding Lemon, now they will have to reel him back into the class.

Sting factor: 5

Warren was originally taken by the Hokies as a quarterback commitment last summer but the longer his career went along, the more it looked like he would be tight end at Virginia Tech. But after the Hokies started to offer other tight end prospects, Warren elected to back off his pledge and look at other options, but at quarterback and tight end. Michigan, Penn State and South Carolina are among the programs now in the mix and a reconciliation between Warren and the Hokies seems unlikely.

Sting factor: 4

Harrision committed to the Horned Frogs back in March, jumping on one of his first major offers. But like most prospects on this list, new offers led to him looking around and now he’s back on the market. Kansas State seems to have emerged as the biggest threat for Harrison, who is still strongly considering TCU.

Sting factor: 4

Including the loss of late 2019 commitment Juwan Mitchell, West was the third decommitment of the month for the Gophers but probably the least impactful of the lot. Minnesota was West’s only Power Five offer and he elected to decommit so he could pursue other offers at camps this summer. The Gophers are still in the mix for West and even if they can’t get him back they should have plenty of time to find a replacement.

Sting factor: 3

Lewis picked up an offer from the Tigers last summer and quickly jumped on the chance to commit. But as time wore on communication dwindled between the two sides, with Lewis saying he wasn’t feeling the “love” from the Tigers when he announced his decommitment. Lewis has plenty of other options and it looks like Georgia Tech could be the team to beat.

Sting factor: 2