5-Star Football Recruit Sheldon Richardson Decommits From Mizzou, Commits to USC

5-star defensive end Sheldon Richardson won't be heading to Missouri after all. 

The coveted recruit ranked as the No. 1 prospect at his position coming out of high school in 2009 said on Thursday that he has changed his commitment from Missouri to USC.

Originally the top prospect of the Tigers' 2009 recruiting class, Richardson had failed to qualify academically and spent the last two years at the College of the Sequoias in California.

But up until this announcement Richardson was still committed to Missouri, publicly stating on numerous occasions that he fully intended to follow through with his plans. 

Richardson had even visited Missouri for the Tigers game against Oklahoma on October 23, telling reporters after the contest that "[Missouri] felt like home."

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While Richardson did not make his decommitment public until Thursday, he in fact informed USC of the news over a week ago and now explains that he did so because he feels the Trojans give him a better chance to develop as a player. 

Richardson has the size of a defensive tackle, at 6'4" and 270 lbs, but the speed and athleticism to be just as good at defensive end—and that type of versatility and rare skill-set makes him a very valuable commodity. 

USC defensive coordinator Monte Kiffin apparently played a major role in convincing Richardson that the Trojans are a better fit and will better prepare him for an eventual transition to the NFL, which is Richardson's ultimate goal. 

While it makes sense for him to make such a move, it still must be very disappointing for Missouri, now without any 5-star commitments for 2011 and only one 4-star commitment from its 14 total recruits on the books at the moment. 

What's even worse is the news that Richardson has not formally informed anyone from Missouri of his decision.

"I'm going to call them later," he said. "It's kind of hard to tell them I'm not going there no more. Or I think I'm not going no more."

Richardson did leave things somewhat open, though, at least enough so that Missouri fans can still cling to a sliver of hope. 

He described the situation as one having "a little wiggle room."

Considering Missouri isn't targeting any other 5-star or 4-star defensive line prospects, the Tigers better cross their fingers that Richardson's wiggle room leads him back to Colombia.