Decommitment bug bites (almost) every school in SEC East

From staff reports

Updated December 23, 2015 11:08 PM

One-time USC defensive end commitment Jordan Smith is now part of Florida’s class. Dwayne McLemore dmclemore@thestate.com

Six of seven schools in the SEC East have faced attrition from their 2016 recruiting classes since the regular season ended.

The three schools with new head coaches (South Carolina, Georgia, Missouri) have each had multiple decommitments, but that distinction also goes for Florida and Tennessee.

The Gamecocks have had plenty of success, adding five commitments under Will Muschamp and firming up the pledges of midyear signees Brandon McIlwain and C.J. Freeman.

Here’s a roundup of how decommitments have affected SEC East schools since the regular season came to a close. (Class ranks are according to 247Sports’ Composite ranking.)

Georgia

▪ Decommits (3): Darion Anderson, receiver, Warner Robins, Ga.; Malek Young, defensive back, Pompano Beach, Fla; Devwah Whaley, running back, Beaumont, Texas. (Georgia also has had multiple decommits from its 2017 class.)

▪ Current class rank: No. 12

Florida

▪ Decommits (4): JaQuan Bailey, defensive end, Jacksonville, Fla.; Jayvaughn Myers, defensive back, Dade City, Fla.; Isaiah Johnson, receiver, Palm Beach Gardens, Fla.; Eric Mitchell, defensive end, Miami.

▪ Current class rank: No. 8

Kentucky

▪ Decommits (0): Last week’s news that Shannon Dawson is out as offensive coordinator could affect the class.

▪ Current class rank: No. 25

Missouri

▪ Decommits (4): Mackenzie Nworah, offensive lineman, Manvel, Texas; Ca’Ron Baham, receiver, Marrero, La.; Tyreic Martin, defensive end, Valley, Ala.; Darius Anderson, running back, Rosenberg, Texas. (A fifth prospect decommitted during the season just after Gary Pinkel announced plans to retire.)

▪ Current class rank: No. 57

South Carolina

▪ Decommits (3): Jordan Smith, defensive end, Lithonia, Ga.; Kelvin Harmon, receiver, Palmyra, N.J.; J.J. Givens, defensive back, Mechanicsville, Va. (The Gamecocks had four other decommitments prior to the end of the season.)

▪ Current class rank: No. 39

Tennessee

▪ Decommits (3): D’Andre Christmas-Giles, defensive tackle, New Orleans; TaDarryl Marshall, athlete, Leeds, Ala.; Chidi Okonya, defensive end, Riverside, Ga. (Vols also lost Class of 2017 five-star quarterback Hunter Johnson of Brownsburg, Ind., in a flip to Clemson.)

▪ Current class rank: No. 21

Vanderbilt

▪ Decommits (1): Sam Brodner, running back, Glen Ellyn, Ill.

▪ Current class rank: No. 60

This story was originally published December 23, 2015 at 10:53 PM.