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4-star DL Emanuel Ruffin decommits from Colorado

Wg0vf-nP_400x400by: Keegan Pope18 hours agobykeeganpope
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Bessemer City (Ala.) four-star defensive lineman Emanuel Ruffin has decommitted from Colorado, he announced on Tuesday.

Ruffin had been pledged to the Buffaloes since September 23, when he chose Deion Sanders and Co. over offers from Alabama, Florida, LSU, Ohio State, Missouri and more than a dozen other programs.

“After much prayer and consideration, I want to take a moment to thank my family, friends, and teammates for always supporting me throughout this journey,” he wrote on Twitter. “I’d also like to thank University of Colorado and their staff for believing in me and recruiting me. With that being said, I have decided to decommit from University of Colorado.”

The 6-foot-3, 290-pounder is coming off a recent Missouri, which got him on campus for an official visit last month. The Tigers, despite a loss to Alabama that day, made their mark on Ruffin.

“They treated me well down there,” Ruffin told MizzouToday. “The atmosphere was great. I could tell it was different, because it was a big game. Everybody was locked in. You can tell they’re different, they didn’t come to play.”

Missouri already flipped four-star defensive lineman Tajh Overton from Oklahoma State, is in the mix for another ex-Cowboys commit in four-star Danny Beale and would love to add Ruffin to their top-25 class, too.

The Buckeyes, meanwhile, have kept in contact with him since his official visit to Columbus in June. Defensive line coach Larry Johnson is looking for a fourth defensive lineman in this class, and Ohio State is in heavy pursuit. He was scheduled to visit for OSU’s game over the weekend against Penn State, but ultimately didn’t make the trip.

However, according to Rivals’ Steve Wiltfong, there is still plenty of mutual interest between Ruffin and the Buckeyes.

Ruffin one of the most productive defensive linemen in the country

Across his sophomore and junior seasons, Ruffin totaled more than 100 tackles and seven TFLs for Bessemer City, one of the top programs in the state of Alabama. And through eight games this season, he has tallied another 40 tackles and five tackles for loss.

He ranks as the nation’s No. 202 overall prospect and No. 21 defensive lineman, according to the Rivals Industry Ranking, an equally weighted average that utilizes all three major recruiting services.

Ruffin also checks in as the No. 12 player in the Yellowhammer State.

This story will be updated with more information.