Mississippi State Loses Commitment Due To Diaz Departure

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Linebacker C.J. Johnson from Philadelphia (Miss.) High School has de-committed from Mississippi State.

Johnson made the decision after learning of defensive coordinator Manny Diaz’s decision to leave for Texas.

“It started off that Mark Hudspeth was recruiting me,” Johnson told Rivals.com, “and he left and went to Louisiana-Lafayette, and then Coach Diaz left and went to Texas, and so it kind of got me thinking about some things and I don’t feel as comfortable as I did.”

Mississippi State will remain in the running for Johnson, who will play in Saturday’s U.S. Army All-Amercian Bowl in San Antonio, Texas. Johnson told Rivals he also plans to consider LSU and Ole Miss.

“When I get home, it’s something I just want to talk about with my mom,” Johnson said. “I’m confident coach (Dan) Mullen is going to bring good people in, and hopefully I’ll be able to make a decision.

“It’s not something I’m going to drag out until signing day. I don’t want to come to a decision, and then right before signing day other things come up. It’s definitely something I’m going to sit down and talk to my mom about, and then make a final decision.”