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2023 Florida Running Back Mark Fletcher Decommits From Ohio State

Fletcher was the lone running back in the class after pledging his services to the Buckeyes in April.

Andrew Lind

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Fort Lauderdale (Fla.) American Heritage four-star running back Mark Fletcher decommitted from Ohio State on Wednesday evening after taking unofficial visits to Miami (Fla.) and Florida on back-to-back weekends.

“First off, I would like to thank The Ohio State University, coach Tony Alford and coach Ryan Day for offering me the privilege of playing football at the next level,” Fletcher said in a post on Twitter. 

“However, after long conversations discussing the best opportunities for me and my family, I have decided to recommit from The Ohio State University and reopen my recruitment.”

The 6-foot-1 and 225-pound Fletcher, who is considered the 15th-best running back and No. 260 prospect overall in the class of 2023, committed to the Buckeyes in April after taking an unofficial visit for Student Appreciation Day.

He made that trip alongside eventual five-star wide receiver commits Brandon Inniss and Carnell Tate, as well as four-star safety pledge Cedrick Hawkins, who were all on the same 7-on-7 team and appeared on track to play together in college.

However, the Hurricanes and Gators ramped up their pursuit of Fletcher in recent weeks and were both able to get him on campus. His recruitment will presumably come down to the two in-state programs, though which one remains to be seen. 

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Fletcher becomes the third player to decommit from Ohio State during the current recruiting cycle, joining Alabama four-star tight end commit Ty Lockwood and Florida four-star cornerback pledge Dijon Johnson.

The Buckeyes will now go back to the drawing board at running back, where Fletcher was the lone commit. They’ll try to get Alabama five-star pledge Justice Haynes and Louisville five-star commit Rueben Owens on campus soon and could potentially offer Cincinnati Winton Woods three-star Trey Cornist.

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Andrew Lind
ANDREW LIND

Andrew Lind is an Ohio State beat writer and photographer at BuckeyesNow, founder of The Ohio State Uniform Database and the NCAA and NFL writer at SportsLogos.net.

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