Julius Tate decommits from Northwestern amid firing of Pat Fitzgerald, hazing scandal

Amid the firing of Northwestern football coach Pat Fitzgerald and the hazing scandal surrounding the program, Greenville High lineman Julius Tate has decommitted from the Big Ten program and has reopened his recruitment.

Tate is a 6-foot-3, 325-pound three-star recruit that plays on both sides of the ball but is predominantly being recruited to play on the interior of the offensive line.

"It was definitely a really hard decision for me ... but me, my family and my coaches thought it would be the best decision for me to decommit and get a chance to reassess my collegiate decision," Tate said.

When asked about the effects of the recent allegations and the school's decision to fire Fitzgerald, this is what Tate said: "On my unofficial visit and all my official visits, I had the chance to develop a really good bond with coach Fitzgerald and (offensive line) coach (Kurt) Anderson, so with coach Fitz getting fired, it had a humongous impact on my decision to decommit."

Though Tate has made the decision to re-open his recruitment, he will continue to stay in contact with Northwestern and keep the program in consideration along with other schools that were previously recruiting him.

"I feel more like I'm sort of picking up where I left off ... because coaches are all contacting me again and wanting to know what I'm planning on doing," Tate said.

Some of the programs that previously recruited and offered him are Appalachian State, Coastal Carolina, Liberty and UNLV, among others. Tate said he doesn't have a timeline for when he'll make his decision, but hopes to find a new college football home soon.

This article originally appeared on Greenville News: Julius Tate decommits from Northwestern football after firing Pat Fitzgerald