4-Star RB Dee Hart Decommits from Michigan, Commits to Alabama

Four-star running back Dee Hart, one of the premier players at his position from the 2011 recruiting class, followed up on his prediction that he and high school teammate five-star safety Ha'Sean Clinton-Dix would be playing college football together.

Hart originally committed to Michigan in October, but recently Hart revealed that there was a chance he'd be playing elsewhere in 2011.

In recent interviews with Fox Sports, Hart and high school teammate and fellow Crimson Tide commitment Ha'Sean Clinton-Dix both said there was an 85 percent chance that they'd play in college together.

With the pair expected to make a joint visit to Florida later this month and both expressing interest in the Gators, many observers believed that we were soon to hear about a pair of decommitments and a boost to Florida's recruiting class.

Now that Hart has committed to Alabama, it appears the Crimson Tide fans can not only sleep easy knowing that Clinton-Dix is more secure, but also be happy that a running back of Hart's quality is joining the fold.

It's unclear at this time if the pair still plan to make their official visit to Florida, but either way expect the Alabama coaching staff to maintain a tight grip on the Orlando, Florida natives.

The addition of Hart to Alabama's recruiting class should have a ripple effect as well, as the Tide are currently in a close race with Georgia to sign five-star running back Isaiah Crowell.

Crowell is a top-three back in this year's class, and while recent reports have him leaning toward staying in-state and committing to the Bulldogs, up until Hart committed to Alabama the Tide still had an excellent chance to sign him.

Considering that Alabama already has Trent Richardson entrenched in the feature back role next season, assuming that Mark Ingram leaves early for the NFL, there simply isn't room for both Hart and Crowell.

So while the addition of Hart might have secured Clinton-Dix's place at Alabama, it likely will cost Crowell his.

But considering that Clinton-Dix is the top-rated safety in the nation and Hart isn't too steep of a drop-off from Crowell, that's something Alabama should be able to live with.

As for Michigan, it's a tough blow that will be hard to recover from. The Wolverines aren't targeting any other running backs of his caliber, and at this point in the game finding a suitable replacement will be challenging, to say the least.