Mitchell Robinson Decommits from Texas A&M: Latest Details, Comments, Reaction

The Texas A&M Aggies men's basketball program reportedly lost an important piece of its 2017 recruiting class Sunday.

According to Jon Rothstein of CBS Sports, Mitchell Robinson decommitted from the Aggies. The 6’9” and 200-pound 4-star prospect is the No. 33 recruit, No. 4 center and No. 3 player from the state of Louisiana in the 2017 class, per 247Sports’ composite rankings.

This is a difficult loss for the Aggies since Texas A&M now has zero 2017 commits, according to 247Sports.

Fortunately for the program, it did add two important pieces in the 2016 class in the form of point guard J.J. Caldwell and power forward Robert Williams. Both Caldwell and Williams are 4-star prospects, per 247Sports’ composite rankings, and can help set the foundation for Texas A&M moving forward.

Brian Snow of Scout.com provided a taste of what the Aggies could have enjoyed with Robinson and Williams after the former originally joined their 2017 class: “Robinson gives Texas A&M an athletic center who should pair nicely with class of 2016 prospect [Williams]. Both of them can provide the athleticism and toughness on the low block to be a problem for opposing teams trying to score at the rim.”

The question now becomes where Robinson will go instead of Texas A&M. The "crystal ball" predictions on 247Sports were evenly split Sunday, with 33 percent going to the Florida Gators, 33 percent going to the North Carolina Tar Heels and 33 percent going to the LSU Tigers.

The Tigers have the advantage as an in-state team, but North Carolina is fresh off an appearance in the national title game and one of the most storied programs in college basketball history. What’s more, the Gators boast two national titles in the last 11 seasons.

Evan Daniels of Scout.com noted Robinson was a breakout performer as part of the Nike Peach Jam's U16 division.

Despite his size, Robinson can run up and down the floor and finish at the rim in transition. He is also a solid rebounder on both ends and has the length to be an impact defender at the next level. In fact, Daniels said: “Defensively, Robinson has the potential to be a force. ... He has good instincts and because of his length and athleticism is able to get his hands on shots.”

Although he is no longer a part of Texas A&M’s class, Robinson has the talent to develop into a difference-maker for whichever program is fortunate enough to land him.