Sting Factor: These 10 signings left programs feeling stung
During the year we here at Rivals.com do a feature called “Sting Factor” whenever an important prospect backs off his commitment from a school. We take reaction from the local, regional and national level to measure just how much of an impact losing a commit can have on a school’s class. Now that the Early Signing Period is almost over, we take a look at 10 prospects whose signing stung for particular opposing programs who missed out on landing prime targets.
STING FACTORS: Alontae Taylor and Tennessee | Arjei Henderson and Oregon | Jarren Williams and Kentucky
Who it stings: Ohio State
Why: The Buckeyes were the longtime favorite to land the Ohio native, and while Clemson clearly made an impression on him during his visits to campus over the past year, most expected that he would stay home and play for Urban Meyer and company. Word spread early in the week that the Tigers were quietly confident about their chances to land Carman, and sure enough it was the Tigers visor that he put on during his announcement Wednesday. Some comments Carman made after about Dabo Swinney’s recruiting pitch regarding Urban Meyer’s age made national headlines and only added to the sting of losing a five-star offensive lineman.
Who it stings: Tennessee
Why: Mays was a longtime Tennessee commit and a Vols legacy who seemed destined to play for his hometown team from the moment he emerged as an elite recruit. He made an early commitment to Tennessee and stayed loyal to the Vols until about midway through the 2017 season. Once things started to unravel with Butch Jones and the coaching staff, Mays backed off his pledge and started to focus on other options. He eliminated Tennessee from contention and his final decision came down to a battle between Clemson and Georgia. Ultimately he chose the Bulldogs, only furthering the sting for the Vols, because now he will be playing for a hated rival.
Who it stings: Ohio State, USC
Why: Woodbey had been committed to the Buckeyes for months, and it was only recently that there started to be a buzz that he might end up elsewhere. Conventional wisdom made it seem that if he spurned the Buckeyes it would be to stay close to home and play at USC. However, after a drawn-out announcement ceremony Wednesday night, Woodbey committed to Florida State. That meant that not only did the Buckeyes lose a longtime commit, he will actually end up going to school farther away than Columbus. As far as the Trojans, they missed out on a five-star talent to a team with a new coach all the way across the country.
Who it stings: Florida State
Why: Even though it seemed like most of the national media thought Cook’s name was “Dalvin Cook’s brother,” he is a five-star back in his own right, and the fact that he decided not to follow in Dalvin’s footsteps to Florida State is notable. The younger Cook recently visited Tallahassee and his former high school coach is now on the staff with the Seminoles. Some thought all of those factors would lead to a late steal for the Seminoles, who had Cook committed for most of the process. Instead, he stuck with his plan and signed with Georgia, which is a tough pill for ‘Noles fans to swallow.
Who it stings: Alabama, Ohio State, Florida State
Why: Jones had been committed to Ohio State for quite some time, and Buckeyes fans will tell you that Jones was no longer in the school’s plans. However, it’s clear he was their top target at the position in the class and while the staff smartly made a contingency plan late in the process, losing him still hurts. As far as Alabama goes, the Tide were one of the main reasons Ohio State started to look at other options. Jones made several visits to Tuscaloosa and the Tide seemed like the biggest threat to Ohio State until Florida emerged on the scene. Florida State had Jones on campus this past weekend and was hoping to pull off a miracle steal, only to watch him sign with their bitter rivals.
Who it stings: Kansas
Why: Normally the Jayhawks aren’t included on this type of list when it comes to football prospects, but their inclusion shows just how much losing Jason really hurt. The elite wide receiver was committed to the Jayhawks from February until earlier this month, and he had left the door open to rejoin the school’s class. When his close friend and teammate Corione Harris announced his intentions to stick with Kansas, Jayhawks fans hoped that the prospect better known as “Whop” would join him in Lawrence. But fighting through tears to announce his decision, Jason announced his intentions to play at Mississippi State. Failing to land the one-time five-star prospect hurts, but at least landing Harris, a Rivals100 defensive back, will soften the blow.
Who it stings: Alabama
Why: It’s odd to see Alabama mentioned so many times on this list because the Tide are usually the stingers, not the stingees. But Cox, who was committed to Ohio State for months and only recently re-opened his recruitment, announced and signed with Georgia on Wednesday over Alabama. He’s the type of player Nick Saban would have landed in recent years, but the rise of the Bulldogs over the past year helped them close strong and land Cox’s signature. As usual, Alabama has a number of players headed to the NFL on the defensive side of the ball and a pass rusher like Cox would have been a perfect fit in the Tide’s scheme.
Why: Ford made a surprise decision to announce his commitment and sign with Georgia on Thursday, adding another big piece to the nation’s top recruiting class. Ford, a one-time Arkansas commit, had visited Texas in the fall, and raved about his trip and the Longhorns were hoping to have another month to woo him to Austin. Auburn, which seemed at times to be in the best position to land Ford, now has to watch him play in its own conference and see him once a year in the annual rivalry game with Georgia.
Who it stings: Alabama
Why: Alabama worked diligently behind the scenes for months while Joseph was committed to LSU and when he finally backed off the Tigers pledge earlier this year, Alabama immediately emerged as the team to beat. Joseph finally made a commitment to the Tide less than three weeks ago and seemed bound for Tuscaloosa. But Georgia got him on campus for a late visit and after it initially looked like he wouldn’t sign during the early period, Joseph sent his letter to Georgia instead. There were some rumblings out of Tuscaloosa that the Tide were waiting on Joseph’s latest transcript before sealing the deal, but now they won’t have that opportunity.
Who it stings: Oregon
Why: Even though Cota had already made his decision to attend UCLA over Oregon earlier this month, when things became official on Wednesday it still hurt the Ducks faithful. Cota’s father is a legend from the Ducks' Rose Bowl team in the mid 1990s, and the younger Cota has established himself as one of the best wide receivers on the West Coast. The fact that he’s staying in conference and will be reuniting with ex-Ducks coach Chip Kelly at UCLA makes his signing a tough pill to swallow.