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Where OSU Football Decommitments Are Now (Part 2)

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Part 1 of our series covering where OSU football decommitments have landed through the years included the likes of three 4-star receivers flipping elsewhere and enjoying successful careers, but part 2—the final part, for now—might be even more difficult to thumb through as the wounds are still fairly fresh.

Here’s where football recruits who decommitted from OSU from 2015 to 2018 landed and how their young careers have fared.

2015

Ronald Jones, 4-star running back: After hanging on to the commitment of McKinney North standout Ronald Jones throughout the football season, the four-star standout had second thoughts late in the process after USC and Notre Dame came calling. He backed away from OSU in December before signing day and committed to USC at the Under Armour All-American game the same day OSU rolled over Washington in the Cactus Bowl in 2015. Jones has 2,069 rushing yards through two seasons and is slated to start for the Trojans in 2017.

Kenneth Edison-McGruder, 3-star safety: McGruder committed to OSU in the summer before signing day but decommitted following an offer and visit from Nebraska. A month later, McGruder made an official visit to OSU and re-committed to the Cowboys, where he’s been in the fold since. McGruder has played spot duty at safety but has switched to linebacker, and shows good promise as a contributor in 2017.

Jaylon Lane, 3-star cornerback: Lane was a four-star recruit at the time he was committed to OSU and appeared next in line to replace Justin Gilbert, but he decommitted from OSU after the school pulled his scholarship following an incident at school in which he threw a calculator and overturned tables during class in a temper tantrum. Lane went the JUCO route, instead, and is set to make his Division I debut next season with Texas Tech.

Joshua Jones, 3-star offensive tackle: Houston offensive lineman Joshua Jones pulled a fast one on signing day by flipping from Gundy to Tom Herman in Houston after a six-month long commitment to the Pokes. Herman sold him on staying home and leading the H-Town movement, and has been a steady contributor for the Cougars, starting in all 13 games last season.

2016

Tyrell Alexander, 3-star receiver: Like the aforementioned Edison-McGruder, Alexander had a difficult time deciding on his destination. He originally committed during the spring game in 2015, backed away from OSU in the summer, then re-committed in November of the same year. He stayed loyal despite a late offer from Oregon. Alexander redshirted last season and has a high upside as a speedy receiver after transitioning from high school quarterback at Lancaster.

Tyrell Alexander could take on an expanded role in 2017. [PFB]

Nick Starkel, 3-star quarterback: Like Alexander, Starkel committed early in the process but had a lackluster senior season that had OSU cooling on the now Texas A&M Aggie. Starkel decommitted after preferred walk-on quarterback Nyc Burns joined the fold, in part, I believe, because Burns’ elite high school production scared him off. Starkel hasn’t been a factor in Aggieville but could compete for playing time next season.

Jonathan Marshall, 3-star defensive end: Of all the decommitments, Marshall’s was the most damaging. The three-star defensive end was locked in with OSU but a late official visit to Arkansas changed his mind. He later decommitted on Twitter by saying that Fayetteville is “where it’s at.” He’s been a bit player in Arkansas thus far.

Ryan McCollum, 3-star offensive lineman: McCollum was the first in a long line of offensive linemen who later committed to Texas A&M under coach Greg Adkins. He redshirted last season.

2017

Levi Draper, 4-star linebacker: Draper decommitted from OSU shortly after a Bedlam bludgeoning and committed to the Sooners, but his original commitment led some to believe he committed to the Pokes in spite because of OU’s lack of early interest in him.

Levi Draper went from a Cowboy to a Sooner.

Adrian Wolford, 3-star offensive lineman: Wolford decommitted from OSU and signed with Texas A&M.

Derek Kerstetter, 3-star offensive lineman: Kerstetter decommitted from OSU and later committed and signed with Texas after late interest from the Longhorns.

Dan Moore, 3-star offensive lineman: Moore decommitted from OSU in December, and committed to Texas A&M after the Aggies pulled the trigger with a late offer.

Nelson Mbanasor, 3-star defensive end: Mbanasor backed away from his OSU pledge to join Texas Tech.

Tyon Merchant, 3-star cornerback: OSU cooled on Merchant in recruiting and he later ended up signing with Sam Houston State.

Spencer Misko, 3-star tight end: Like Merchant, OSU cooled on Misko late in the process and shifted their attention elsewhere. Kansas State signed him in February as a defensive end.

Ty Thomas, 3-star safety: The son of former Texas Tech safety Bart Thomas, Ty had a change of heart in the process and signed with Arizona State. He was originally the first pledge of OSU’s 2017 class.

Tyler Henderson, 3-star tight end: Henderson flipped from OSU to Baylor late in the process last cycle, probably because Baylor has a long track record of integrating tight ends into its offense.

2018

So far, so good. I can think of only one explanation.

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