Elijah Hood Decommits from Notre Dame: Irish Lose 4-Star RB

Notre Dame has lost its biggest 2014 college football recruit, 4-star running back Elijah Hood. 

Tom Loy of 247Sports' BlueGoldIllustrated tweeted the news and a link to his story, which is VIP: 

In the report, Loy cited sources that said the distance from home was a "major factor" in the decision to decommit from Notre Dame for Hood. 

Hood is from Charlotte, N.C., and plays for Charlotte Catholic High School. Per Loy's report, North Carolina "may" be the new leader for Hood's commitment. The Tar Heels would be much closer to home, and that seems to be a big requirement right now.

JC Shurburtt of 247Sports confirmed that distance from home was a factor, per Twitter: 

Decommitments have been called "huge losses" before, but this definitely falls into that category for Notre Dame. Hood is the No. 5 running back recruit, per the 247Sports composite rankings, and he brings a ton to the table.

First off is his size. Hood is 5'11.5'', 222 pounds. He could easily pound it between the tackles, lower his shoulder and pick up first downs, but he also brings another element to the table: athleticism.

Hood runs a 4.48 40, per 247Sports, and has the shiftiness of a much smaller back. He has the ability to cut it outside and make people miss, and he's especially good as a pass-catcher out of the backfield. 

Sure, Notre Dame is fine depth-chart wise with Greg Bryant and Tarean Folston featured in last year's class, but still, Hood is the type of talent that is hard to lose—no matter the depth. 

Brian Kelly's 2014 class now features 16 commitments. The Fighting Irish are still looking good, but this loss will undoubtedly hurt.