LSU football suffers two defensive back decommitments over the weekend

It wasn’t a great weekend for the Tigers’ recruiting class of 2024. In a matter of three days, LSU football suffered two decommitments at the defensive back position, with Maurice Williams Jr and Zion Ferguson choosing to commit elsewhere.

LSU football suffered its first decommitment Friday afternoon

Maurice Williams Jr’s recruitment has largely been confusing all around so far. The linebacker/safety recruit committed to LSU football on June 18, and at the time, he was the Tigers’ seventh defensive back commit.

The 6-foot-1, 200-pound hybrid player was the second-best commit for the purple and gold for about five days. Then, on June 23, he announced his surprising decommitment from LSU football.

On that same day, he’d been visiting his hometown school, Houston and wasted no time by committing to the Cougars within hours.

The Houston Cougars sent some ripples through the college football recruiting world Friday when 2024 Pearland (TX) Shadow Creek 4-star safety Maurice Williams Jr. flipped his verbal commitment from the LSU Tigers.

📝- https://t.co/2ljz0A4N9k pic.twitter.com/yA5K4pHOze

— 247Sports (@247Sports) June 24, 2023

Williams Jr is the No. 136 player nationally, according to 247 Sports. He is the only ranked player in Houston’s recruiting class of 2024.

Zion Ferguson joined in on the decommitment train on Sunday

Just two days after Maurice Williams Jr‘s flip, Zion Ferguson followed suit. Ferguson would decommit from the program on Sunday, June 25.

At the time, Ferguson had been committed to LSU football for nearly a full year. He first committed to the Tigers in September 2022 and, for the most part, seemed solid in his commitment.

That all changed this past weekend, as within hours of decommitting from the program, he’d already committed to another. Following his official visit to North Carolina on June 23, Ferguson committed to the Tar Heels.

🚨NEW🚨 Four-star cornerback Zion Ferguson has committed to North Carolina🐏

Ferguson’s decision comes a few hours after he decommitted from LSU.

Read: https://t.co/Z7FFigl2BW pic.twitter.com/fVB5rnaGXF

— On3 Recruits (@On3Recruits) June 25, 2023

Ferguson, a 6-foot, 161-pound prospect out of Gainesville, GA, is the 20th hard commit for the North Carolina recruiting class of 2024. As the No. 33 cornerback nationally, he is also their top-rated commitment.

While it’s never ideal to have two four-stars decommit from your program in a matter of days, the Tigers program is still in excellent shape for their class of 2024. They still have five defensive back commits in their class, which ranks No. 9 nationally.

LSU football is still in the running for several top cornerbacks in the country. If they can gain the commitment of just one of them, coach Brian Kelly should be thrilled with how the class will have shaken up.

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