MWCConnection Recruiting Roundup 10-26-26. Why do players decommit?

It’s another week of the Recruiting Roundup.

This week saw several decommits between the Mountain West and Pac-12 schools. Why do decommits happen? There are two main scenarios.

First, when the verbally committed player begins getting “better” offers. A player may have committed early and then schools they like more or have more prestige start getting involved. Unfortunately, this is common for Group of 6 schools. While some bigger schools may recruit from smaller schools’ commit lists, other times the player gets on their radar after making a big jump their senior season. Regardless, the player wants to reevaluate their options as new information or choices come in.

Secondly, a player will decommit when the team privately tells them they are no longer recruiting them. There are several scenarios here. The most common is during a coaching change. A new coach comes in with their players or their recruiting philosophy and the committed player doesn’t fit that. Also, the player doesn’t make the improvement they were projected to make, or perhaps even regressed to some degree. Similarly, if the school is able to secure a commitment from a player they didn’t think they could who plays the same position as a committed player, they may tell the committed player they will no longer offer their commitment.

All of this to say, when a player decommits, it’s safe to assume there is much more going on behind the scenes. And while sometimes it’s easy to connect the dots, in other situations we may never know the full story.

This week, there were 3 players who decommitted. But there were 24 new offers handed out. Nevada and Texas State led the way in offers. This week will see the Bobcats on the cover photo.

Class of 2027 Cover Photo Total:

• Hawaii: 3
• Oregon State: 3
• San Diego State: 3
• San Jose State: 3
• UNLV: 3
• Wyoming: 3
• Colorado State: 2
• Fresno State: 2
• New Mexico: 2
• NIU: 2
• North Dakota State: 2
• UTEP: 2
• Air Force: 1
• Nevada: 1
• Washington State: 1

Recruiting Calendar:

From September through November, we are now in an evaluation period. Players can have on-campus visits, and coaches can go recruit players on high school campuses. As always, it is okay to send texts, calls, and DMs.

Next College Student Athlete says:

The NCAA Evaluation Period is a specific time of year when college coaches are allowed to watch an athlete compete in person or visit their school. However, coaches are not allowed to communicate with that athlete (or parents) off the college campus. Coaches can sit in the stands during a recruit’s practice or game, as well as visit the recruit’s school. This gives college coaches a chance to talk to the recruit’s coach, teachers, or guidance counselor to get a better understanding of the student-athlete’s character. After the visit, the coach may call or email the recruit and let them know how their experience was at the school or game.

The NCAA Evaluation Period is just that: a time set aside for evaluation. While coaches can’t talk to athletes off the college campus, they can still call, email, text, and direct message recruits.

Commitment Spotlight:

Visit Recap:

Recruiting Updates:

Offers:

• Air Force:
• Boise State: 2
• Colorado State: 2
• Fresno State:
• Hawaii:
• Nevada: 4
• New Mexico: 1
• NIU:
• North Dakota State: 2
• Oregon State: 2
• San Diego State: 3
• San Jose State:
• Texas State: 4
• UNLV:
• Utah State: 1
• UTEP: 1
• Washington State:
• Wyoming:

Visits

Commits:

Decommits

• WR Joe Barrett: Air Force
• DB Ashton Jones: Colorado State
• OL Seth Sullivan: San Diego State

Follow @Mike_SBN on Twitter for all the latest recruiting news and updates.