4-Star JUCO LB Gary Johnson Decommits From Alabama Crimson Tide


Four-star JUCO inside linebacker Gary Johnson decommitted from the Alabama Crimson Tide on Sunday. 


The Crimson Tide have fallen from their No. 1 spot in the 2017 recruiting class rankings and now sit at No. 2 behind the Ohio State Buckeyes.

The reasoning for the drop occurred on Sunday when 4-star JUCO inside linebacker Gary Johnson decommitted from Alabama. He originally pledged to Nick Saban’s team in March.

Johnson, who attends Dodge City Community College, released a statement regarding his decision and cited academic requirements as the driving force behind his decommitment.

“After talking it over with my advisors and family, I have decided to reopen my recruitment due to academic requirements in the SEC that are different than in other conferences. I will not be available to any SEC schools because of that. I want to thank all of the SEC schools that have offered me and saw potential in me. I also appreciate everyone on the University of Alabama coaching staff that showed me love and for the opportunity. I also want to thank all Alabama fans that supported me, and I wish them nothing but the best.”

Non-SEC offers for Johnson include Arizona State, Baylor, Iowa State, Louisville, Ohio State and West Virginia, among others.

Johnson was one of four high-profile linebacker commits Alabama had in the 2017 class. The Crimson Tide also have pledges from 5-star outside linebacker Dylan Moses, 5-star outside linebacker VanDarius Cowan and 4-star inside linebacker Markail Benton.

Cowan, who flipped to Alabama from Florida State, has been in hot water recently after getting kicked off his high school football team.

The Crimson Tide now have 21 total commits and 3,781 total recruiting points — 77 points behind the Buckeyes.

Note: Scout rankings, ratings and photos used in this article.

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