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 1-10, with one being no big deal and 10 being a catastrophic hit.
MORE: Adeleye decommitment sets off ripples at Ohio State | Big Ten commits react to season postponement
THE SITUATION
When Tunmise Adeleye committed to Ohio State in mid-April, it was another huge commitment for the Buckeyes as coach Ryan Day and his staff made another statement on the recruiting trail: They can still get into the talent-rich South for top prospects.
The talented five-star defensive end who played his first three seasons at Katy (Texas) Tompkins was now at Bradenton (Fla.) IMG Academy and Ohio State beat out Texas A&M, Alabama, Florida and many others.
It was a major recruiting victory for the Buckeyes in the spring of Adeleye’s junior season. But the five-star backed off that pledge on Tuesday, a surprise move since Ohio State rarely loses - and only gains - five-star pledges.
Adeleye is expected back at Katy Tompkins as an uncertain senior year is ahead for everyone across the country. In Adeleye’s social media post announcing his decommitment, he was complimentary of Ohio State assistant coach Larry Johnson and said playing in Columbus was always a dream.
But now it looks like Adeleye will end up elsewhere. Texas A&M has to like its chances but other SEC foes are now involved.
LOCAL REACTION
There is no way to sugarcoat losing a five-star defensive end. The position in and of itself is of great importance and has major effects on the other two levels of the defense behind it. The impact of losing a defensive end the caliber of Tunmise Adeleye cannot be understated.
In a vacuum, I would say the sting factor of losing someone of Adeleye's stature is a 10, not only because of what the team is losing on the field but also because he appears to be greatly respected and admired by his peers, which makes him a leader off the field.
That being said, Ohio State still has a great group of players on the defensive line in the 2021 class, specifically defensive end Jack Sawyer and defensive tackle Michael Hall, so that mitigates the sting. They also have the best defensive back class in the country who can hold the fort behind the first two lines of the defense, so that must be factored in, too. - Dave Lackford, BuckeyeGrove.com
Sting Factor: 8
NATIONAL REACTION
“Losing a five-star prospect always hurts any program a great deal and Adeleye had a chance to be the next great DE at Ohio State. But his commitment was always iffy in my mind. I assume the staff knew he was a potential decommitment. Because Ohio State recruits so well at defensive end, they will be fine and have Sawyer in the fold as another five-star, but this still stings.” -- Mike Farrell, Rivals.com
Sting factor: 7
