8 Programs That Suffered the Most 2014 Recruiting Decommitments

There's a monster that lurks around the recruiting trail that even the most confident college coaches are terrified of: the decommitment monster.

Coaches work so hard to get a commitment from a prospect, so when the recruit decides to back away from his pledge, it's devastating. Many decommitments took place during the 2014 cycle, but some schools saw the decommitment monster more than others.

Florida signed a great class, but it lost two 5-star prospects late in the process. Washington finished strong, but the Huskies saw several of their recruits sign elsewhere. Plus, one school lost nearly half of its class.

Player evaluations are based on review of tape at Scout.com, Rivals and 247Sports.

Louisville

Timothy D. Easley/Associated Press

When a coaching change happens, a program always loses a couple of commitments. However, 4-star defensive tackle Travonte Valentine jumped ship well before Charlie Strong left for Texas. The Florida native signed with LSU.

Valentine wasn't the only 4-star defensive tackle Louisville wound up losing, as Poona Ford followed Strong to Austin. The Cardinals also lost 3-star receiver George Rushing, who opted to sign with Wisconsin.

Virginia Tech plucked 3-star receiver Isaiah Ford, while 3-star offensive lineman Kavaris Harkless ended up at Florida.

Florida State

Kevin C. Cox/Getty Images

Florida State signed an elite class on national signing day, but it did take some lumps before it finished. 

Treon Harris, a talented 4-star athlete who can play quarterback, elected to sign with rival Florida. The Seminoles also lost 4-star receiver Markell Pack to Ole Miss a few months ago, plus 4-star athlete Jojo Robinson was poached by Arkansas.

Finally, don't forget 3-star receiver C.J. Worton and 4-star receiver J.C. Jackson were committed to Florida State at one point before both signing with the Gators. 

Washington

Ted S. Warren/Associated Press

USC head coach Steve Sarkisian had a great national signing day. Part of that is because he took 4-star cornerback Jonathan Lockett, 4-star receiver/athlete/cornerback Rahshead Johnson and 3-star defensive end Don Hill with him from Washington.

The Huskies lost 3-star guard Natrell Curtis to Oklahoma, while 3-star tight end Chase Blakley signed with Boise State. Washington even lost its pledge from 4-star 2015 defensive tackle Jacob Daniel during the 2014 recruiting cycle.

Texas

Eric Gay/Associated Press

Charlie Strong lost several recruits from the class Mack Brown built.

Zaycoven Henderson, a 4-star defensive tackle, and 4-star linebacker Otaro Alaka signed with Texas A&M. The Longhorns also lost 3-star defensive tackles such as Trey Lealaimatafao to LSU and Courtney Garnett to Oklahoma.

Daniel Gresham signed with SMU, as the 3-star running back jumped ship last spring. 

Keke Coutee, a 4-star receiver in the 2015 class, decommitted from Texas in January. Speaking of juniors, 3-star guard Aaron Garza is also no longer committed to Texas.

Alabama

Kevin C. Cox/Getty Images

Alabama celebrated another exceptional recruiting class on Wednesday, but the Crimson Tide did lose a couple of players during the process.

USC got 4-star guard Viane Talamaivao to flip from 'Bama in the fall, while 4-star cornerbacks Kalvaraz Bessent and Stephen Roberts switched sides and joined Auburn several months ago. Don't forget 4-star safety Laurence Jones decommitted for a short time before recommitting.

Alabama also lost 3-star safety Chris Williams to UCF, while 5-star 2015 quarterback Ricky Town has decided he now will attend USC.

Florida

Kim Klement-USA TODAY Sports

Florida didn't bring in the class it wanted to on national signing day, and that's because it suffered several key decommitments.

Benjamin Knox, a 3-star offensive tackle, backed off his pledge to the Gators last fall, which led to him signing with South Florida, just like 3-star receiver Ryeshene Bronson.

Alabama took high-end 4-star pass-rusher Christian Miller from Florida, while rival Florida State pulled a double whammy by plucking 5-star running back Dalvin Cook and 5-star receiver Ermon Lane.

The Gators also lost 4-star cornerback Chris Lammons to South Carolina. Plus, 2015 4-star receiver Da'Vante Phillips decommitted from Florida in December.

Vanderbilt

Mark Humphrey/Associated Press

The Commodores saw head coach James Franklin leave for Penn State, which caused several recruits to leave their class.

Defensive tackle Jashon Robertson, tight end Chance Sorrell, cornerback Grant Haley, offensive lineman Brendan Brosnan and quarterback Trace McSorley, all 3-star recruits, decided to join Franklin in Happy Valley.

Then, 4-star quarterback K.J. Carta-Samuels signed with Washington.

Mikale Wilbon, a 3-star running back, signed with Nebraska, and 3-star defensive end Lloyd Tubman is going to Kentucky. Tennessee took 3-star defensive tackle Michael Sawyers.

Vanderbilt also lost 3-star receiver Kameron Uter to Wake Forest, 3-star safety Kyle Gibson to UCF and 3-star offensive lineman Jesse Burkett to Stanford. 

Rutgers

Joe Camporeale-USA TODAY Sports

Rutgers had some turnover on its coaching staff, which caused a massive earthquake in its recruiting class.

The Scarlet Knights lost 4-star safety Kiy Hester and 3-star athlete David Njoku to Miami, while 4-star receiver Saeed Blacknall signed with Penn State.

Another 4-star receiver, Adonis Jennings , signed with Pitt, plus 3-star cornerback Lamont Simmons is part of USC's recruiting class. Head coach Kyle Flood also lost 3-star running back Jonathan Hilliman to Boston College, while 3-star quarterback Tyler Wiegers signed with Iowa.

Justin Herron, a 3-star offensive tackle, flipped to Wake Forest. Fellow 3-star prospect Jordan Fuchs gladly backed off his pledge and eventually signed with Indiana. Finally, Deion Hallmon, a 3-star cornerback, signed with Northern Illinois.

This has to be some kind of record.

Ryan Dunleavy of the Scarlet Scuttlebutt wrote on Jan. 27:

"

"Saeed Blacknall reportedly was on Rutgers’ campus this weekend, but now he won’t be back until the middle of September when the Penn State football team arrives for a road game.

The Manalapan High School wide receiver and All-Shore Selection by the Asbury Park Press announced late Sunday night via Twitter that he was flipping his commitment from Rutgers to Penn State, delivering arguably the biggest blow yet to a recruiting class that has taken more than its share of hits."

"

2014 Bleacher Report College Football Recruiting Heat Map

Don't forget to check out the 2014 Bleacher Report College Football Recruiting Heat Map! It's a neat interactive tool for all recruiting fans!

Edwin Weathersby is the College Football Recruiting Analyst for Bleacher Report. He has worked in scouting/player personnel departments for three professional football teams, including the New York Giants and Cleveland Browns.