The no-visit policy instituted by Texas Longhorns head coach Mack Brown following the 2013 cycle that saw the 'Horns lose five formerly committed prospects has resulted in the first casualty for the 2014 class with the decommitment of Fort Worth (Texas) All Saints offensive lineman Demetrius Knox.
Demetrius Knox decommits from the Texas Longhorns
The big offensive lineman had been the top-rated prospect in the Texas class.
News of the decision first surfaced early Monday morning in a report from Rick Kimbrel of BruinBru.com ($) and was confirmed several hours later by 247Sports and then other outlets.
The 6’4, 300-pound Knox made the decision despite telling the Dallas Morning News just days ago that he was “100% committed” to Texas, going on to repeat a common assertion from him that his post-football future in the state of Texas had helped play a role in his pledge to the Longhorns:
And it’s not all about football. Of course Texas has a great program and a great tradition, but you have to think of it as where do you want to live after football, and Texas is the best state for me. A degree from there speaks louder than basically any other big time college.
The decision calculus for Knox has now changed, most likely because he wanted to take other visits and the Texas staff gave him the ultimatum that he could completely shut down the process or decommit.
The All Saints prospect had been walking the line with the Texas coaching staff, having visited Oklahoma prior to National Signing Day for the 2013 class just before Brown put the new policy into place and then actively flouting it with a trip to Ohio State with his close friend, teammate, and now-former fellow Texas commit Daniel Gresham, a running back/fullback at All Saints.
A consensus four-star prospect who is a likely guard prospect at the next level, Knox is ranked as the no. 4 offensive guard in the country, the no. 12 player in the state of Texas, and the no. 77 prospect nationally in the 247Sports Composite rankings.
The native of Ohio grew up a Buckeyes fan, so Urban Meyer and his staff may be squarely in the mix to land a commitment from Knox, who is apparently also considering UCLA and has Florida State and Miami listed as contenders on his 247Sports profile page. A high school offensive tackle, Knox also holds offers from the likes of Alabama, Michigan, Notre Dame, Oklahoma, and Texas A&M.
It is not clear at this time what will happen with Gresham in the long run, though he did tell ESPN Horns Nation recruiting analyst Max Olson that he has not decommitted from Texas, and whether the Longhorns will continue to recruit Knox.
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