And now the definition of the word commitment is really being stretched.
Florida State defensive tackle commitment Maquedius Bain, a four-star recruit out of Davie (Fla.) University School, told Rivals.com ($) that while he remains committed to the Seminoles, Florida State is not in his top five.
Bain cited depth chart concerns at Florida State in saying that it probably won't be the right place for him.
Still committed to a school that is not in his top five. Recruiting, errbody!
Quay isn't committed to Florida State in any traditional sense of the word. His school is not to blame for his lack of understanding of the 'committed.' As far as University School goes, it's pretty good among South Florida public high schools, earning an 'A' rating from the state.
The real problem is that the word commitment has been used by the recruiting industry to assign certain players to specific teams in order to provide some certainty to readers.
In truth, the word commitment, as it applies to recruiting, should mean "currently favoring as of this very minute," or "I would like to publicly reserve my spot in the class should I eventually decide to sign." No commitment is truly solid until the player signs on the dotted line on National Signing Day.
If Bain makes it up to Tallahassee and talks with the coaching staff, it's possible both sides will decide that he should stay in the class. If not, it's difficult to see him doing so.
The other issue here is that Bain, who is physically talented but incredibly raw, wants to play right away. That's about the last thing Bain, who has not played much football, needs. The proper course of action would be for him to red shirt, mature physically and learn how to play the game.
But since Bain complains about the number of defensive tackles at some schools and discusses how it might hurt his chances at early playing time, let's take a look at who is coming back at his current commitment, Florida State, and his perceived leader, Miami.
*Returning defensive tackles before early entry into NFL draft. Red-shirts for freshmen are projected.
Florida State
D. McAllister RS-SR
T. Jernigan JR
N. Lawrence RS-SO
D. Mitchell RS-SO
E. Goldman SO
J.Shanks RS-FR
Miami
L. Robinson RS-SR
C. Porter RS-FR
J. Grimble JR
O. Pierre RS-JR
C. King RS-SO
J. Briscoe SO
E. Moore RS-FR
D. Ivery RS-FR
With FSU returning six and Miami returning eight, perhaps Bain shouldn't be concerned about quantity, but rather quality. Florida State signed the nation's top defensive tackles in Jernigan and Goldman in '11 and 1'2, respectively. Bain's concerns about playing time are legitimate. He is quite raw and likely would struggle to beat out those two and the four other four-star defensive tackles on Florida State's roster.
Despite the 'Canes bringing back two more defensive tackles than the 'Noles, that concern doesn't exist in Coral Gables. While FSU returns two former five-stars and four four-stars, the 'Canes return just two four-stars and six three-stars.
In his next interview, Bain would be more accurate if he expressed concerns about a school having too much talent at defensive tackle, as opposed to the number concerns he espoused to Rivals.
Bain's recruitment is shaping up as a great content source for us in the recruiting media and a headache for college coaches, and it seems like it is far from over.
For more on FSU football, visit Florida State blog Tomahawk Nation and SB Nation Tampa Bay.
For more on Canes football, visit Miami blog The 7th Floor.
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