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3-Star RB Adarius Lemons Decommits From Florida Gators
Three-star running back Adarius Lemons decommitted from the Florida Gators Tuesday night. Jim McElwain's team remains in the top 15 of the 2017 recruiting class rankings.
October 26, 2016
Three-star running back Adarius Lemons decommitted from the Florida Gators on Tuesday night.
For the second time in two months, 3-star prospect Adarius Lemons has decommitted from Florida.
After he flipped his commitment to the Gators from the North Carolina Tar Heels in July, following Florida’s Friday Night Lights recruiting camp, Lemons backed off his pledge in late August. He then rejoined the class a day later.
The decision to decommit now comes on the heels of his second school suspension this season and the dismissal from his high school team.
Lemons, the No. 4 running back in the state of Florida and No. 24 running back in the nation, released a statement regarding his decision.
“I would like to decommit from the University of Florida. I understand the choice I made [has] made a big impact on me, which I understand. My main focus is to remain humble, pass this ACT and bounce back. I’m sorry, University of Florida, for the disruption. When I get it right, hopefully, they still want me in the end. But I will open up my recruitment until further notice.”
The idea is that once Lemons passes his ACT and gets everything settled, he’ll re-commit to the Gators. If and when that happens, Florida will then have two 3-star tailbacks in the class. Hours after Lemons backed off his commitment, 3-star running back Malik Davis committed to Jim McElwain’s team, keeping the class at No. 12 in the recruiting team rankings with 16 commits.
But as far as Lemons is concerned, it would be a big loss for the Gators to lose him. He has a big frame for a halfback at 6-foot-1, 185 lbs. Lemons’ ability to accelerate, turn up the field, and make plays on the perimeter would be a nice weapon in Florida’s backfield. He’s a violent runner but needs to keep his footing when fighting through tackles.
With Jordan Scarlett and Jordan Cronkrite heading into their junior seasons in 2017, the Gators could add more depth to an already loaded backfield. Assuming both Lemons and Davis sign on the dotted line, Florida will also have Lamical Perine in his sophomore year and JUCO transfer Mark Thompson returning for a second season.
Note: Scout rankings and ratings used in this article.
