Sports

Update: Vianney's Markel Smith Decommits From Mizzou, Still Considering Tigers

The senior-to-be has apparently backed off a pledge given to Missouri last fall.

Updated Monday 8:36 a.m.

The University of Missouri football Tigers won't suit up on the field for a game that counts until the fall, but the school suffered a defeat in the recruiting world Sunday. Vianney running back, a rising senior for the Griffins, who gave a verbal commitment to Missouri in November withouth much fanfare, withdrew his pledge Sunday.

"Decommitting is not an easy thing, but I just did from Mizzou," Smith reportedly Tweeted Sunday. His tweet was retweeted by PowerMizzou, an arm of Rivals.com, a news service which tracks college sports recruiting news. Smith's social media account is protected and could not be immediately verified by Patch. Patch has also been unable to reach Smith for comment.

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Last month, Smith told Rivals that schools like Iowa and Ole Miss were still pursuing him but that he was still planning to be at Missouri. Iowa long has had success recruiting in St. Louis, most recently getting Kirkwood Wide Receiver Andre Harris and CBC running back Johnny Parker to sign letters of intent in February. Ole Miss recently scored a St. Louis coup in the class of 2014, securing a verbal pledge from De Smet Jesuit's Andy Bauer, the top-ranked recruit in Missouri in the coming senior class.

A recruit cannot officially commit to play for a school until signing a letter of intent. The earliest that can happen is February 2014.


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