Report: Roquan Smith will not sign an LOI when he commits to a school

The recruitment of four-star linebacker Roquan Smith has been a whirlwind. On National Signing Day, Smith announced on ESPNU that he would sign with UCLA. He changed his mind after learning that UCLA defensive coordinator Jeff Ulbrich was leaving and never sent in his letter of intent (LOI). After reopening his recruitment to Georgia, Texas A&M, Michigan, and even UCLA, Smith was expected to take about a week to make his final decision.

A new report from AJC.com states that Roquan Smith has "no timetable" but "doesn't expect it to drag out too much longer." More interestingly, Smith's coach Larry Harold told AJC.com's Michael Carvell that he will not sign an LOI when he commits to a school. This will delay his official status as a signee to his first day of summer classes.

Coach Larry Harold on the decision (AJC.com)

"He’s not going to sign a letter of intent," Harold said. "The reason why is because what he went through last week. This just gives us flexibility in case something else unexpectedly happens again."

Texas A&M and the other schools involved have agreed to accept Smith's commitment without an LOI. Smith's decision may create ripples across the college football landscape if the best prospects decide to forgo signing an LOI in the future. The LOI binds players to the school they choose and they must forfeit a year of eligibility if they decide to attend a different school, even before showing up for classes.