Octavian Smith decommits from Northwestern
Northwestern lost one of its prized 2022 commitments on Friday when three-star athlete Octavian Smith announced his decision to decommit from the Wildcat program and reopen his recruitment.
After thanking Northwestern's coaching staff, Smith said in a tweet, "after extensive prayer and thoughts within myself and conversations with family and friends, I wish to announce my decommitment from Northwestern Univ. as I plan to do my due diligence, experience the full recruitment process and weigh my options in terms of what other schools have to offer, and make my decision going from there."
Smith said that "it's not over" between him and Northwestern, potentially leaving open the possibility of a recommitment down the road. That seems unlikely at this point, however.
Northwestern prides itself on finding diamonds in the rough in recruiting and Smith was one of those types of finds. A fast and athletic 2022 prospect, Smith seemed to be underrecruited and had perhaps the biggest upside of all of the players in NU's class.
Smith drew 13 offers, including six from the Power Five, before committing to the Wildcats on June 23. Smith hasn't reported an offer on his Twitter account since the end of May.
Thirteen seems like a low number for a prospect who ran a 10.88 100-meter dash to place second in the Maryland 4A state finals in June. He has run as fast as a 10.46. His film, too, shows a talent level that outstrips his offer list.
The Wildcats recruited Smith as a cornerback, but he plays both quarterback and corner for Burtonsville (Md.) Paint Branch. Wide receiver is another possibility at the next level, and it wouldn't be surprising to see him play on the offensive side of the ball in college.
Northwestern's 2022 class drops from 15 to 14 commitments with Smith's defection. The Wildcats still have one other cornerback in their group: three-star Braden Turner of Mobile (Ala.) McGill-Toolen.
The Wildcats' class is currently ranked 38th in the nation by Rivals.