Max Redfield decommits from USC: will top safety recruit choose Notre Dame?

USC's fears were realized Sunday as top safety recruit Max Redfield, of Mission Viejo (Calif.) High School, decommitted from the Trojans. He announced the news via his Facebook page:

"Going back on my word is something I never imagined doing and it hurts me to do it but in the end I feel is necessary to do in order to decide what college I want to go to and in the end what path I want to take in life. For many different reasons I am choosing to decommit from USC and re-open recruiting. I am sorry to the people I might let down or hurt in this decision but it is a decision that is crucial for my future athletically, academically, and spiritually."

The news was not unexpected, as Redfield was one of the top candidates for decommitment what we identified in a recent edition of Decommit Watch.

Notre Dame was the other school contending for Redfield, and it is believed to be his new leader. Notre Dame blog One Foot Down has updated its big board with the Redfield news.

The Irish have a big need in the secondary and a prospect like Redfield could be a candidate to play early or potentially even start for Notre Dame in the back end.

ESPN also reports that Redfield will visit Washington and will likely visit Oregon.

The country's No. 37 player overall and No. 2 athlete will take an official visit to Washington on Nov. 9 and likely will schedule an official visit to Oregon as well. Redfield attended USC's home game against Oregon on Saturday, but this decision is something that has been gaining momentum since the Notre Dame visit in early October.

USC still has an excellent recruiting class, but it is quite difficult to spin the loss of a player like Redfield as anything but a negative.

Don't miss: Max Redfield video scouting report

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