Nebraska Football Recruiting: Huskers Face Stunning DE Decommit

Well, it’s safe to say that the Nebraska football staff didn’t see this one coming.

Orlando, FL defensive end Robert Porcher IV has decommitted from the Nebraska football class of 2017 leaving the Huskers with only one defensive end in the bag with Guy Thomas.

In a tweet today, Porcher said,

“I’ve been so blessed to play my football career in front of my family, who support me at every game. I recently realized that I’m not okay with the thought of my family not being close enough to come to my games.

I SINCERELY appreciate everything the Nebraska coaches have, football program and community have done to make me feel welcome and wanted there, so this was not an easy decision for me at all. But my family is everything to me, and I realize now that I wouldn’t be happy being that far away from them.”

What’s even more unfortunate is that this announcement comes on the first day of the recruiting dead period.

During dead periods, coaches may not have face-to-face contact with prospects or their parents, so any visits to potentially change Porcher IV’s mind are forbidden. However, coaches can still write or phone prospects during a dead period.

An interesting note is that despite his commitment, defensive line coach John Parrella was still recruiting other defensive ends. This begs the question of whether or not Parrella felt Porcher IV was in it for the long haul.

This is an unfortunate turn of events to be sure, however it’ll give Parrella a perfect opportunity to show just how quickly he can turn a negative into a positive.