USM commit Moncrief to open it up
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MONTGOMERY, Ala. - Longtime Southern Miss defensive back commit Derrick Moncrief of Prattville (Ala.) said Thursday that he likely won't be pledged to the Golden Eagles for very much longer.
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"I'll probably de-commit next week," Moncrief told Rivals.com.
There appears to be two primary reasons for this. The first is that Southern Miss coach Larry Fedora is expected to be named head coach at North Carolina tomorrow, according to TarHeelIllustrated.com.
"They say he's taking a new job, so I'm going to open it up," Moncrief said. "[At Southern Miss] there was a family environment, and he really stressed academics to me."
For the record, Moncrief said Southern Miss would not be out of the race if he does in fact de-commit.
"I'm not eliminating them," he said.
The chance to play in the Southeastern Conference is another factor the 6-feet-3, 200-pound Moncrief said following practice for the Alabama-Mississippi All-Star Classic he is looking around.
"It's a pipeline to the NFL, you know," he said. "There are great teams in that conference."
Arkansas, Kentucky and Mississippi State all are in the mix, with the Razorbacks probably being the Golden Eagles' biggest threat at this point. That program "definitely" will get an official visit.
"I want to visit Arkansas," Moncrief said. "They're one of the top teams in the country. I'm really looking forward to that [visit]. I've never been there. I have to make my [official visit] plans next week."
Moncrief added that Kentucky and Mississippi State also could get officials. Minnesota also has been in contact with him. Additionally, he implied North Carolina might become a factor if Fedora called.
"I'm expecting to hear from him," Moncrief said.
Keith Niebuhr can be reached at kneebs01@aol.com. You can follow him on Twitter @KeithRIVALS.
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