4-Star DT Poona Ford Decommits from Louisville

With so much attention focused on Texas, and how Charlie Strong's hiring might affect the Longhorns recruiting class, it's easy to forget about the school he abandoned back in Louisville. But those dominoes are starting to fall.

According to Ryan Bartow of 247Sports, 4-star defensive tackle Poona Ford—previously the Cardinals' top-ranked recruit—has decommited from Louisville:

Ford is the No. 263 overall player on the 247Sports composite, ranking 22nd among defensive tackles and seventh among players from South Carolina. He lacks ideal height for the position, but he's thickly built (6'0'', 285 lbs) and has an explosive first step.

While disheartening, this news doesn't come as a shock to Cardinals fans, as Ford had been wavering on his commitment for quite some time. Oregon offered him a scholarship on Wednesday and will host him for a visit on Jan. 24, according to 247Sports.

Also on Ford's schedule is a Jan. 31 visit to Missouri and a Jan. 17 visit to Texas, which is coached, of course, by Louisville's former coach. If Strong poaches the Cardinals' top-ranked player and brings him to Austin, it would be hard for former fans to forgive.

With the loss, Louisville dropped six spots in the 247Sports team rankings, down to No. 37. The incoming class is deep, featuring 21 3-star prospects, but it now has zero 4-star prospects remaining, per the composite rankings.

What's worse, the only other defensive tackle committed to Louisville is 3-star prospect Chris Nelson. According to Dave Behr of the Austin Statesman, Strong offered Nelson a scholarship to Texas on Wednesday afternoon, soon after losing 4-star defensive tackle Zaycoven Henderson to Texas A&M.

Bobby Petrino has his work cut out for him this next month, and somehow flipping a bunch of old Western Kentucky recruits doesn't seem like it would do the job.