Lions lose another five-star prospect ... this time QB Justin Fields

York Daily Record

Penn State's star-studded 2018 recruiting class took another massive hit when arguably the nation's top-rated quarterback decided to renege on his verbal commitment.

Justin Fields, whose recruiting stock has soared the past few months, announced on Twitter Tuesday evening that he is decommitting from the Nittany Lions.

Fields is from Kennesaw, Georgia and pledged to coach James Franklin and Penn State on Dec. 1.

Back in April, the Lions also lost the commitment of five-star Harrisburg defensive end Micah Parsons.

While maintaining his interest in Penn State in recent weeks, Fields said he was considering visiting other schools. He has continued to be recruited hard by schools in the deep south such as Georgia, Auburn and Florida.

"I wouldn't put it as a surprise, but it's definitely a major blow," said Ryan Snyder, a recruiting analyst with Blue-White Illustrated. "He's arguably the best quarterback Penn State has recruited in the James Franklin era. I wouldn't say he was a leader, but he was a guy other recruits were interested in."

The most recent loss drops Penn State to No. 4 nationally in Rivals.com's recruiting rankings, No. 5 for 247Sports.com and No. 6 with Scout.com.

In his announcement, Fields said, "This is probably the hardest decision I've ever had to make. I'd like to thank Coach Franklin, Coach Moorhead and all the PSU coaching staff for believing in me and investing time in building a relationship with me.

"My decision to reopen my recruitment is in no way a reflection of any deficiencies of PSU, its coaches, players or fans. I still believe PSU is a great academic and athletic opportunity for any student athlete and it will remain one of the top schools that I would consider.

"I know that I will disappoint some people for my decision and for that I apologize. This decision was not easily made. I ask for your prayers as I continue to seek God's will and direction for this next step in my life. Thank you."

It's uncertain where the Lions go from here with quarterback recruiting for the 2018 class. All of their top targets have already committed elsewhere.

"This staff is an elite staff when it comes to recruiting," Snyder said. "But until they put together (multiple) elite seasons ... this comes with the territory.

"This staff has been ahead of 90 percent of the nation when it comes to getting on guys and offering them early and getting them on campus (for recruiting visits)," Snyder said. "If you're on this (early) cycle, this is going to happen."