National Notebook - The Decommitment Craze

Oral commitments are regarded as little more than temporary reservations by an increasing number of prospects. The no-holds-barred nature of the current football recruiting environment creates uncertainty for both coaches and prospects, often creating a difficult dilemma for committed recruits.

Decommitments occur for many reasons and they also come more frequently than ever before.

There was a time when a recruit changing his mind and signing with a different school than the one he originally committed to was regarded more as a bad break, or just an unlikely turn of events that couldn’t be avoided. The decommitment was usually unexpected, certainly not considered mainstream. Now, no decommitment is worth reporting without information about how “firm” it is.

SuperPrep magazine printed the names of 35 prospects who changed their minds in 1994 and by 2000, that number had risen to 56. The names of 99 switchers showed up in ’07 and a whopping 146 youngsters exploded into the public’s eye as decommitters for the class of 2008. Switching hats at a family-filled conference table has never been more apropos.

This trend shows no signs of slowing down. Oral commitments are regarded as little more than temporary reservations by a growing number of prospects, often putting college coaches into a bind. Sometimes, it’s those college coaches who initiate the changes themselves by cooling on kids they would like to replace with a different prospect.

Increasingly however, the no-holds-barred nature of the football recruiting environment can create a real dilemma for committed recruits. “All’s fair in love and recruiting” has become the order of the day and committed recruits frequently find themselves deluged with information and heavy pressure from other schools wanting to change their minds. In fact, some schools encourage prospects to keep commitments to themselves, or silent, so as not to become targets for other schools. Knowing your enemy can only help.

The persuasive power-point attempts on the part of powerful, charismatic coaches can be tempting for even the most solidly committed youngsters. And coaching changes, new offers and academic realities always provide logical foundation for a decommit.

Then again, other prospects don’t appear to need all that much mind-bending to change course. They are like decommitments waiting to happen. Just show ‘em a little love and a lean depth chart.

The recent trend towards earlier oral commitments (Texas already has 10 class of 2010 commits) also feeds right into the decommitment craze. Larger numbers of prospects are committing so early now that they can’t possibly know enough about other programs to feel assured that they won’t change their minds. And many originally commit with the intention of officially visiting other schools. These so-called “soft commits” have expanded the meaning of “commitment” such that its definition couldn’t be more cloudy, some would say meaningless, nowadays.

Holding onto your commits can be much more difficult than getting those non-binding promises in the first place. It can be the decommits that never happen, or never actually result in a new signing destination, that figure to increasingly shape signing classes and the public’s perception of who is successful.

Illinois wide receiver Terry Hawthorne stuck with the Fighting Illini over Missouri and Oklahoma. Florida defensive tackle Gary Brown did not defect to Florida State. Defensive back Byron Moore decommitted first from UCLA, then from USC and was rumored to be signing with Notre Dame, but unexpectedly signed with USC instead.

Here’s a look at various 2009 decommits.

Nyshier Oliver wants to be a wide receiver for the Vols

Here, there and back again

1. Hawaiian OL Stan Hasiak – committed to UCLA, then Cal but still signed with UCLA

2. Calif. WR Diante Jackson – Oregon, Colorado, Oregon

3. New Jersey ATH Nyshier Oliver – Tennessee, Notre Dame, Tennessee

4. Calif. DB Marlon Pollard – UCLA, Notre Dame, UCLA

5. Idaho TE Billy Sanders – Miami, UCLA, Miami

6. Kansas DE Kevin Young – Kansas, Nebraska, Kansas

Melvin Fellows switched from Illinois to Ohio State

Headin’ back to the home state

1. Arkansas WR Neal Barlow – committed to Kansas but signed with Arkansas

2. Ohio DE Melvin Fellows – Illinois to Ohio State

3. Georgia WR Stephen Hill – UCF to Georgia Tech

4. S.C. WR Alshon Jeffrey – USC to South Carolina

5. Texas WR Darius Jones – Oklahoma to Baylor

6. Colorado DE Nick Kasa – Florida to Colorado

7. Calif. LB Taniela Maka – Arizona to UCLA

8. Calif. QB Josh Nunes – Tennessee to Stanford

9. Pennsylvania OL Ryan Schlieper – Maryland to Pittsburgh

10. N.C. RB Desmond Scott – Rutgers to Duke

11. Pennsylvania DL Jordan Hill – Rutgers to Penn State

12. Texas RB Eric Stephens – Minnesota to Texas Tech

13. Alabama OL John Sullen – Southern Miss to Auburn

14. Calif. DE Iuta Tepa – Hawaii to UCLA

15. Alabama DT Jamar Travis – Ole Miss to Auburn

16. Arkansas RB Turell Williams – Ole Miss to Arkansas

Craig Loston is SuperPrep magazine's No. 1 DB signee

Three’s a charm

1. Virginia QB Tajh Boyd – West Virginia, Tennessee, signed with Clemson

2. Texas S Craig Loston – A&M, Clemson, LSU

3. Texas LB Ernest Norman – Kansas, Tulsa, Nebraska

Gamecocks turn some heads

1. RB Jarvis Giles – Tennessee decommit

2. S Devonte Holloman – Clemson decommit

3. S Damario Jeffery – Clemson decommit

4. WR Alshon Jeffrey – USC decommit

5. S Chris Payne – Clemson decommit

6. DB D.J. Swearinger – Tennessee decommit

Nick Kasa chose the Buffaloes over the Gators in the end

Florida’s decommit woes

1. CB Marsalis Teague – signed with Tennessee

2. DE Nick Kasa – Colorado

3. WR Nu’Keese Richardson – Tennessee

4. CB Greg Reid – Florida State

USC’s decommit woes

1. LB Vontaze Burfict – signed with Arizona State

2. WR Randall Carroll – UCLA

3. WR Shaquelle Evans – Notre Dame

4. WR Alshon Jeffrey – South Carolina

5. TE Morrell Presley – UCLA

Mark Brazinski surprised many when he announced he would sign with Cal

Other prominent decommits

1. Tennessee FB Dominique Allen from Tennessee to LSU

2. Arkansas WR Neal Barlow from Kansas to Arkansas

3. Iowa OT David Barrent from Iowa to Michigan State

4. Texas QB Shavodrick Beaver from Michigan to Tulsa

5. N.J. OC Mark Brazinski from Rutgers to Cal

6. Maryland QB Raymond Cotton from Auburn to Ole Miss

7. Georgia LB Jonathan Davis from South Carolina to UCF

8. Illinois DE Craig Drummond from Illinois to Ole Miss

9. Mississippi QB Chris Garrett from Mississippi State to LSU

10. Maryland CB Darrell Givens from Ohio State to Penn State

11. Kentucky CB Justin Green from Ohio State to Illinois

12. N.J. LB Gerald Hodges from Rutgers to Penn State

13. Louisiana CB Janzen Jackson from LSU to Tennessee

14. Massachusetts TE Arthur Lynch from Boston College to Georgia

15. Minnesota WR Bryce McNeal from Michigan to Clemson

16. Virginia QB Kevin Newsome from Michigan to Penn State

Pat Patterson switched from Mississippi State to Ole Miss, citing the Rebel passing attack

17. Mississippi WR Pat Patterson from Mississippi State to Ole Miss

18. Maryland RB Caleb Porzel from Virginia to Maryland

19. N.C. RB Desmond Scott from Rutgers to Duke

20. Florida RB Rodney Scott from Auburn to Ole Miss

21. Florida DE Ed Stinson from Florida State to Alabama

22. Pennsylvania WR Je’Ron Stokes from Tennessee to Michigan

23. Texas OG Ivory Wade from Texas A&M to Baylor

24. Florida CB Kayvon Webster from Miami to Florida State

25. Texas CB Steve Williams from Oklahoma to Cal