Five star RB Elijah Hood decommits from Notre Dame after aggressively recruiting fellow prospects
As recently as May, Elijah Hood -- the No. 4 ranked running back in the Class of 2014 on the Rivals 100 -- aggressively used Twitter after committing to Notre Dame in hopes of recruiting fellow rising senior standouts to join him in South Bend.
Only two months later, the Charlotte (N.C.) Catholic High star has decommitted from the Irish in a fairly stunning about face, as first reported by BlueandGold.com.
"It’s something I prayed about," Hood told the Charlotte Observer after practice on Tuesday. "It was a difficult decision but it came down to this: I really valued my family and what they stand for and just being around them. It was a tough decision, but I felt I had to not only do what was right for me, but what was right for my family. It was about being closer to home and I want to have them with me in my development."
A 2014 U.S. Army All-American Bowl selection, Hood rushed for 3,309 yards and 48 touchdowns on 278 carries as a junior. While he hasn't announced a new short list, plenty of Division I programs are much closer to home, including obviously North Carolina.
But Notre Dame is now officially off the list following his most recent visit to the campus.
"Something happened the last time he went up there that he didn’t like," his father, Vee Hood, told the Observer. "Something changed his mind immediately. He was scared to tell us. I said there’s no need to be scared. It’s his decision. I told him, 'You've got to be happy wherever you choose to go.' I know he's not going to be going to Notre Dame, and I guess that means he's open to [all colleges] again."
It's safe to say Alabama probably won't be on his list, either, since Hood famously published videos of himself flushing recruiting letters from Crimson Tide coach Nick Saban down the toilet in June, only to issue an apology on Twitter shortly afterwards.
As for Notre Dame's remaining top 2014 recruits -- including elite offensive linemen Alex Bars, Jimmy Byrne, Sam Mustipher and Quenton Nelson -- they're commitments appear safe for the time being. Until, perhaps, Hood starts a new Twitter recruiting campaign.
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