As it turns out, even Georgia can't keep every five-star recruit. On Thursday evening, John Emery, a five-star prospect and the No. 2 overall running back for the 2019 class, announced on Twitter that he was decommitting from the Bulldogs. Decommits like these happen all the time, but the loss of Emery is a fairly sizable deal in the recruiting game. At 5-foot-11 and 206 pounds, he already has ideal size for the position. He possesses a well-rounded skill set, including excellent change-of-direction and hands out of the backfield. Georgia certainly isn't hurting for running back talent, but this a tough loss as Emery had been verbally committed since July. As for what's next, 247Sports' crystal ball has a heavy lean towards in-state program LSU at 84 percent. The Tigers typically do a good job keeping top local talent in Baton Rouge. Could this be the next big commit for coach Ed Orgeron?<doc-sep>LSU's chase for a second running back in the 2019 class has taken another turn. On Thursday afternoon, Destrehan High (La.) five-star running back John Emery decommitted from the Georgia Bulldogs. Emery originally committed to the Bulldogs on July 29, but less than three months later, the Louisiana native has elected to back off the pledge as he moves towards the end of his recruiting process. Emery is ranked as a five-star, the No. 2 running back in the country, the No. 2 prospect in Louisiana and the No. 16 prospect in the country, per the 247Sports rankings. LSU has a commitment from four-star Baton Rouge running back Tyrion Davis, and now they have their sights set on closing on Emery - which would give the Tigers one of the best one-two punches at running back in the country for this year's recruiting cycle. Emery most recently visited LSU for the team's win over Georgia in Tiger Stadium earlier this month, and he spent time with head coach Ed Orgeron after the game. Emery has been recruited by LSU's entire staff, including a big push from Orgeron, area recruiter Mickey Joseph and running backs coach Tommie Robinson. At 5-foot-11 and 206 pounds, Emery is viewed as one of the top running back prospects to come out of the Bayou State in recent years. The Tigers have two of his former teammates on roster in Baton Rouge in Destrehan High graduates Justin Jefferson, LSU's leading wide receiver this season, and defensive end Glen Logan, who has been a starter on the defensive line for the Tigers. Emery had originally been pegged as an early lean to LSU, but then warmed up to Mississippi State during his junior season. But Georgia surged for his services over the summer and landed his commitment in somewhat surprising fashion. But now, Emery won't be heading to Athens for college, which has seemingly swung the door wide open for LSU to make their move. LSU currently has 19 commitments in the 2019 class, leaving six scholarship spots left to fill between now and National Signing Day in February. The class currently ranks No. 8 nationally on the 247Sports Composite Team Rankings and No. 6 nationally on the 247Sports Team Rankings. A commitment from Emery would push LSU's class score up from 260.72 points to 271.66 points, which would leap them from No. 8 nationally all the way up to the No. 4 class in the country - just two points behind Oregon in the No. 3 spot. Georgia's loss of Emery from their recruiting class would drop the Bulldogs below LSU if the Tigers were able to snag his commitment. If Emery chooses to sign with LSU, he would be the program's second-highest rated signee in the 2019 class behind only fellow five-star Derek Stingley, who is ranked as the nation's No. 1 cornerback prospect and a top five prospect nationally, regardless of position. Stay tuned to Geaux247 and 247Sports for more on this breaking news.<doc-sep>247Sports Georgia Bulldogs coach Kirby Smart lost a key member of his 2019 recruiting class on Thursday, as 5-star running back John Emery decided to decommit from the program. Emery announced his decommitment on Twitter, calling it one of the "toughest decisions" of his life: Emery initially committed to the Bulldogs back in July. Per 247Sports, Georgia still has the fourth-ranked recruiting class for 2019, still having commitments from four 5-star prospects and 10 4-star recruits. The 5'11", 206-pound Emery is the second-ranked running back recruit in his class and is the No. 22 overall prospect of 2019, according to 247Sports. The Destrehan (Louisiana) High School star has received offers from Alabama, LSU, Michigan, Oklahoma, Texas and USC, among others. Judging by the film, it's easy to see why top programs around the country are chasing him: There is no word on who the favorite to land Emery is as he re-opens the recruiting process. Of note, LSU has already landed the top cornerback and No. 4 overall recruit in 2019, Derek Stingley. The Tigers also have the commitment of 4-star running back Tyrion Davis. Video Play Button Videos you might like Emery did not give a timeline as to when he expects to make his decision, either.<doc-sep>
Top-ranked 2019 running back John Emery has announced his decommitment from Georgia on Thursday via Twitter. "This is one of the toughest decisions I have made in my life so far," Emery tweeted. "I know it will only get tougher. My next move can determine a lot with my future during and after football. I want to first give thanks to the Bulldog coaching staff. Coach Smart and Coach McGee, thank you for recruiting me and giving me tips after some of my games, and getting to know me and my family on a personal level. This recruiting process has taught me patience; even though something seems right, and in fact it may be right, it's always better to be careful and time is a subset of being careful. With that being said, I am here to announce that at this time I am de-committing from the GA Bulldogs. God Bless." Emery is the sixth prospect to decommit from Georgia following five-star wide receiver Jadon Haselwood, four-star cornerback Jalen Perry, four-star linebacker JD Bertrand, four-star defensive tackle Rashad Cheney and three-star offensive tackle Luke Griffin. The Bulldogs currently have 16 commitments for the 2019 national recruiting cycle and dropped from third to fifth in the 247Sports Team Class rankings following Emery's decommitment. The Lousiana native currently has offers from 15 other programs including LSU, Alabama, Florida, Michigan and Tennessee. Emery ranks as the No. 1 running back for the 2019 national recruiting cycle, according to ESPN. He also ranks as the No. 2 running back, No. 3 player from the state of Louisiana and the No. 22 overall prospect for the recruiting cycle, according to the 247Sports Composite, which cummulates rankings from the four major recruiting sites. Georgia had previously targeting several running backs including five-star Trey Sanders, four-star Noah Cain, four-star and LSU commit Tyrion Davis, four-star Kenny McIntosh and four-star Nay'Quan Wright before landing a commitment from Emery in July. The Bulldogs currently have a committee of running backs receiving reps in 2018 including junior Elijah Holyfield and sophomore D'Andre Swift, among others.