Should CBB Coaches See Caleb Swanigan's Decommitment as a Warning Sign?

Before the NBA changed its age limit, college coaches faced a nightmare scenario where they could end up landing a stud and then eventually watching as he decided to go to the NBA and never step foot on campus. 

The equivalent in this era could be what happened to Michigan State on Thursday. 

Five-star big man Caleb Swanigan decided to decommit from Michigan State, as first reported by ESPN.com's Jeff Goodman, after pledging to head coach Tom Izzo on April 10. 

This was made easy for Swanigan because he never signed a letter of intent; he only gave the Spartans his word.

But without a letter of intent, his words are not binding. He is free to do whatever he wants, and what he wants, according to a source with knowledge of the situation, is to be a power forward.

"Swanigan chose MSU but got talked out of it because he would likely be a 5 there," the source said. "Trying to give him best shot at NBA. No 6'8" centers in the league."

At Michigan State, a look at the depth chart suggests Swanigan fit best at center. Purdue, now considered the favorite to land Swanigan, already has two true centers (A.J. Hammons and Isaac Haas), and Swanigan would likely play power forward. According to a tweet from ESPN analyst Dan Dakich on Thursday night, Swanigan to Purdue "is done."  

This is, it appears, a decision that was rushed last month.

Swanigan's guardian is Roosevelt Barnes, a sports agent who played football at Purdue and in the NFL. Before Swanigan made the announcement, Barnes was cautioning that it might be best to hold off.

"The plan now is for him to decide (Saturday)," Barnes told Kyle Neddenriep of The Indianapolis Star. (Swanigan ended up announcing that Friday). "We may push it back. It's a business decision, so you don't want to rush into anything and there's really no reason to rush. I'd like to slow it down, personally, but there's a possibility it could happen at the Hoop Summit."

Doug McSchooler/Associated Press

Barnes said in an interview with Bleacher Report last summer that he and Swanigan "consciously made a decision that he was going to be an old-school power forward" and also said they were looking for a program that was going to "run the offense through him."

The ability to be a go-to guy and play power forward is more likely to happen at Purdue.

If someone talked Swanigan into changing his mind, that's understandable. You'd think, with 18- and 19-year-old kids, this happens all the time.

But what Swanigan has done—changing his mind so late in the year—is so rare that it might just be a first.

"To the best of my knowledge, I don't remember such a high-profile guy waiting so late and then changing," said Jerry Meyer, director of scouting for 247Sports. "It's unprecedented."

It's also part of a trend that was meant to protect the players but will inevitably make coaches wary of the loophole that gives the players the power.

Swanigan is not the only elite prospect to not sign his letter of intent in this 2015 class. Five-star prospects Stephen Zimmerman (headed to UNLV) and Malik Newman (headed to Mississippi State) and 4-star guard Tyler Dorsey (headed to Oregon) also opted not to sign LOIs.

It's a move that is considered practical, as it gives the players flexibility to decommit if the coach were to leave or circumstances somehow change.

"If you're an elite player—a 5-star type, maybe even a high 4-star—you have the leverage," Meyer said. "I don't see how it helps any player to sign a letter of intent. I don't know why they'd want to handcuff themselves when they don't have to."

Nothing, as far as anyone can tell, changed at Michigan State. But Swanigan was in a spot where he could second-guess his decision and do something about it. Had he signed a LOI, Izzo and the school could have blocked a request to get out of what is a contract to the school. Once you sign that paper, you are a hostage to the school and the coach.

Swanigan didn't have to be a hostage. Now he can take as long as wants, and coaches will hold a spot for him because he's one of the best players in this class.

Michael Conroy/Associated Press

Izzo has the choice to either try to regain Swanigan's commitment—if Swanigan has yet to truly decide—or move on. He was not allowed to comment on Swanigan when he made the commitment and is not allowed to do so now because of an NCAA rule that prevents coaches from commenting on prospects they have not signed.

Giving the players this freedom is an uncomfortable situation for coaches because it allows for another school to come in and poach a player. That's not to say that's what happened here, but until a player signs those papers, he's still a free agent.

Will Swanigan's indecision create change?

Probably not. It would take a lot of coaches getting burned and then trying to portray themselves as victims in order to change the current rules. That's not likely. 

Coaches could take control and tell players they will only take them if they sign a LOI, but no coach is going to risk losing out on a elite prospect by putting forth such a stipulation.

Because if you don't take him, someone else will.

C.J. Moore covers college basketball for Bleacher Report. You can follow him on Twitter @CJMooreBR. Star ratings courtesy of 247Sports.