Rich Rodriguez Fired: Will Justice Hayes and Other Michigan Recruits Decommit?

According to reports Michigan head coach Rich Rodriguez was fired after his third season with the Wolverines ended in an embarrassing 52-14 loss to Mississippi State in the Gator Bowl on Jan. 1. 

The report comes after Rodriguez met with athletic director Dave Brandon earlier Tuesday, but this is no surprise, as speculation has been rampant over when, not if, Rodriguez's tenure with the program would come to an end.

No doubt the school's recruiting efforts will be immediately affected by this, but while in most cases the loss of a head coach is construed as a negative, that might not be the case in this situation.

Still, generally when the head coach leaves he's followed by at least a couple key decommitments. 

Four-star running back Justice Hayes, who originally committed to Notre Dame, comes to mind but he's not the only recruit to keep your eye on. 

Here are some key Michigan commitments that might be heading out now that Rodriguez is gone. 

Dee Hart, RB

Hart's an electric playmaker who's faster on the field than his 4.5-second 40 time would suggest.

He has great balance, vision, change-of-direction ability, and at 5'9" and 190 lbs, a surprising ability to break tackles. He may be undersized, but he's a compact and strong rusher who can really dish out punishment.

Hart decommitted from Michigan on Jan. 2 and switched over to Alabama with a soft verbal, but up until Rodriguez was fired, many observers believed the Wolverines were still in the mix along with Florida. 

You'd be right to believe that chances of him ever signing with Michigan plummeted on Tuesday. 

Blake Countess, CB

Countess is an aggressive and physical corner who tackles well and does a solid job in run support as well as generally blanketing his receiver in coverage.

At 5'11" and 171 lbs, his style will get him injured in college in a hurry if he doesn't bulk up significantly, but he's got the frame to build on, so he might just need a redshirt year before he's ready to go. 

Countess is one of the newest Michigan commitments, choosing the Wolverines over Georgia Tech after a tight race that many felt could have gone either way. 

His former high school teammate and current Georgia Tech cornerback Louis Young hosted him for what was described as a very good official visit in December and now that Rodriguez is out of the picture at Michigan it wouldn't be surprising for that connection to heat up again. 

Justice Hayes, RB

Hayes is a nifty running back who uses his vision, elusiveness and deadly cut-back ability to mask his shortcomings in the speed and size department. At 5'10" and 180 pounds, he's definitely on the small side. But he plays like a bigger player and really excels moving in space.

His best quality is probably the way he's able to avoid tacklers and juke opponents with subtle, slight shifts in movement without wasting time and energy the way other backs do.

Hayes has been one of the most wishy-washy prospects in the country. He grew up a Michigan State fan, then committed to Notre Dame over the summer and most recently switched his commitment to Michigan in November. 

He's never seemed too sure of his decision though and if anyone is going to decommit in the wake of Rodriguez's firing, he's the guy.