Cornerback
David Long (Los Angeles/Loyola) has publicly de-committed from Stanford, as
first-reported by 247Sports.com.
The U.S. Army All-American informed the Cardinal staff of his intentions moments ago.
"I've decided to open up my recruitment," Long said. "I did some soul searching and I've been thinking about it. It has nothing to do with the Stanford staff or their influence. They've been winning and I like them. My decision was solely based on me. I thank them for the opportunity. This is something I've been thinking about for a while. It's in my best interest to open things up."
Going forward Long said two programs have risen ahead.
"Out of the gate Washington and Michigan are on top," Long said.
The blue-chipper shared his thoughts on both schools.
Washington: "It's stable. I love Seattle. I love the city. I really like (Huskies defensive backs) coach (Jimmy) Lake. They have a young and upcoming team. I like the way coach Lake develops his players. They have a nice locker room. It feels good when I'm in town."
Michigan: "Coach (Jim) Harbaugh is a great coach. If you have aspirations for the next level he's the guy to be around. It's first class there. They have a great engineering program and that's what I want to do. It's a perfect setup in a great college town."
Long has officially visited Michigan and Notre Dame.
He plans to officially visit Washington January 15.
He said that will be his final official visit since he's taking a school trip to Italy the following two weekends.
Long said he hopes to make his college choice following his Washington visit.
The Crystal Ball reads 42-percent for Stanford, 42-percent for Washington, eight-percent for USC and eight-percent for Michigan.
The four-star recruit is ranked as the nation's No. 7 cornerback and the No. 10 prospect in California in the 2016 class by 247Sports.com Composite Rankings.