CFB Recruiting 2010: 10 Commitments That Should Have Stayed

Decommitments are a part of the recruiting game, and while sometimes the decisions are understandable and appear to be beneficial to the future and success of a player, other times you can only wonder what would have been if they'd just stayed put.

Would the negative press for Demar Dorsey be quite so poignant if he hadn't first caused a stir by leaving Florida for Michigan?

How much success would Tai-ler Jones have had catching balls from Andrew Luck instead of Dayne Crist?

These are questions you'll never have the answers to, but if you follow recruiting closely, they might be some you always ask.

So which 2010 decommitments should have stayed put and stuck to their original plans?

Who are the guys out there whose future's might have been brighter had they not changed their minds?

Tai-ler Jones, WR, Notre Dame

Original Commitment: Stanford

Tai-ler Jones was one of the best pieces from Notre Dame's recruiting class, and while Brian Kelly's new spread offense should get the ball rolling for Notre Dame's passing game, Jones will have to wait his turn to really contribute.

Even without Golden Tate, Notre Dame's receiving corps has a lot of talent and Jones is the fourth receiver at best.

If he'd stayed at Stanford, he could have competed for a starting role immediately. Similarly, he could have caught some balls from one of college football's best quarterbacks in Andrew Luck.

And even with Luck expected to bypass his senior year, Josh Nunes is waiting in the wings.

Chris Martin, OLB/DE, Cal

Original Commitment: Notre Dame

From a decommitment headed to Notre Dame, we head to decommitment headed away from Notre Dame.

Chris Martin was one of the 2010 class' top outside linebackers and a play-maker who's going to do big things on the next level. While at Cal he'll get to join a depleted depth chart, the situation at Notre Dame was perfect for him.

The new 3-4 defense and the lack of play-making ability along the defensive line would have set him up to have a key role as a hybrid defensive end/linebacker.

It's not all about the NFL, but that move could have set him up for a future as a first-round pick in the draft. 3-4 OLBs are one of the most-heavily sought after pieces in the pros.

Kadron Boone, WR, LSU

Original Commitment: Texas Tech

When Boone committed to Texas Tech it sounded like the perfect fit. Even without Taylor Potts at the helm to lead the offense, the competition for the starting quarterback position is fierce and should bring out the best of all parties.

There's depth at receiver, but Boone is the type of player that flat out produces, and he would have found a role in the offense in a hurry—the system is suited for his skill set.

The feeling on this end is that he could get lost in the shuffle at LSU.

Keenan Allen, S, California

Original Commitment: Alabama

Keenan Allen is the type of prospect that would have made an instant impact in any system, at any school. So you can expect big things from him at Cal, where he might have the chance to start as a freshman.

That same chance wasn't available to him at Alabama, but Allen jumped the gun when he jumped ship.

Nick Saban knows how to coach up his secondary, he knows how to turn good players into great players and great players into the best players.

Alabama pumps out pro talent, can you say the same for Cal?

Markeith Ambles, WR, USC

Original Commitment: Tennessee

You can't fault Ambles for following Lane Kiffin from Tennessee to USC, players often chose programs for coaches, and if that coach moves on, sometimes it's only logical that the players do the same.

Unfortunately for Ambles, he now has NCAA sanctions hanging over his head and a crowded receiving corps with fellow 2010 recruits Kyle Prater and Robert Woods.

Ambles might end up relocating for a second time and you wonder if maybe he should have just parted ways with Kiffin and remained a Vol.

Louis Nix, DT, Notre Dame

Original Commitment: Miami

One thing Notre Dame has is strength along their defensive line, but the transition to the 3-4 will shuffle the pieces around somewhat.

Nix is the type of player that can get it done as a nose tackle, but he's so athletic that you wonder if his skill-set will be minimized clogging up the middle with constant double teams.

Miami has pumped out some solid defensive tackles in recent years and you have to wonder whether Nix was better suited for the 4-3 scheme.

Ahmad Dixon, S, Baylor

Original Commitment: Texas, Tennessee

Dixon originally committed to Texas as junior, then switched over to Baylor and then to Tennessee and then back to Baylor in the end.

It's the classic case of a kid who simply could not make up his mind.

While he's going to get the early playing time he craved for at Baylor, he won't get the coaching and exposure he would've received at Texas and Tennessee.

Dixon passed up on solid situations where schools have proven they can get the most out of the safety position, especially at Texas.

Da'Rick Rogers, WR, Tennessee

Original Commitment: Georgia

Rogers is in a good situation in Tennessee, so this decision isn't quite the same as the others, but more of a "what if?" situation.

What if Rodgers had stayed at Georgia and played with 2011 quarterback commitment Christian LeMay in a couple years?

Of course he never could have foreseen that, as his choice to decommit from the Bulldogs came much earlier than LeMay's addition, but that really would have been the makings of a truly special quarterback-receiver connection.

Demar Dorsey, S, Louisville

Original Commitments: Florida, Michigan

Demar Dorsey has become a cautionary tale for college football recruiting.

The former Florida commitment first took heat for his switch to Michigan and then took even more heat for not qualifying academically and dropping out for a chance at Louisville instead.

As talented as he is, you won't find any good press about him right now and instead Dorsey is forced to listen to a constant flow of negative media coverage bringing up his checkered past.

Dorsey was arrested three times as a 15 and 16-year-old and confessed to two burglaries, couldn't cut it academically and now even the media in Louisville is getting on him and the program over his addition.

He would have been better off staying at Florida and staying out of the limelight.

Matt Elam, S, Florida

Original Commitment: FSU

Matt Elam went back and forth over his decision between the two Florida powerhouses before ultimately being swayed by Urban Meyer to have faith in the Gators' program and join him at the Swamp.

Many players have been sold by Meyer in the past so it's perfectly understandable why Elam did the same, but just look at the depth in Florida's secondary and you'll wonder whether he made the right decision.

They're stacked and Elam is one of many blue chip talents that have joined the mix. He'll have to kick and claw for playing time.

At FSU, he could have strolled into the starting lineup.