3-star DL Jamarrion Harkless decommits from Illinois
A little more than two months after committing to Illinois, three-star Lexington (Ky.) Fredrick Douglass defensive lineman Jamarrion Harkless has backed off his pledge.
The 6-foot-4, 290-pounder announced Tuesday on Twitter that he was reopening his recruitment.
“Thank you Illini nation for the love I received from y’all,” Harkless wrote. “I also wanna thank the coaches for seeing the potential in me and taking a chance on me. I’ve decided To decommit from Illinois and I’ll be opening my recruitment back up.”
Harkless is the No. 739 overall prospect in the 2023 class, according to the On3 Consensus, a complete and equally weighted industry-generated average that utilizes all four major recruiting media companies. He also ranks as the country’s No. 79 defensive lineman and the No. 7 senior in the state of Kentucky.
He initially chose the Illini in early June over offers from Louisville, Kentucky, West Virginia, Ole Miss and a handful of other programs. He took an official visit to Champaign the first week of the month and committed on the spot. However, schools have remained in pursuit of him, including Louisville, which hosted him for an official visit on June 21.
Harkless was the third-highest ranked commitment in Illinois’ 2023 class, which ranks No. 62 nationally in the On3 Consensus Team Recruiting Rankings.