One of the top-ranked quarterback recruits in the nation made the decision not to play for Alabama and coach Nick Saban...then decided to tell Saban via email.
Ricky Town, 247Sports.com's #2 pro-style quarterback in the class of 2015, originally committed to the Crimson Tide before offensive coordinator Doug Nussmeier left Alabama in January. After Nussmeier's departure, Town promptly decommitted from Alabama, choosing instead to attend USC.
Per Nate Scott of USA Today Sports, Town was very clear about why he decided to play elsewhere:
“I sent Coach Saban an email and said ‘Thank you for everything, but I have to do what’s best for me,’” Ricky states in the article. “I never heard back from Coach Saban. But one of the girls that works in his office, she wrote back and said ‘Best of luck.’”
When asked if the hiring of new offensive coordinator Lane Kiffin had anything to do with it, Town said not at all:
“A lot of people ask me if (Kiffin was) the reason I switched to USC. My decision had nothing to do with Lane Kiffin. I’ve talked to Lane Kiffin a lot of times when he was at USC. When he went over to Alabama, he talked to me. I like Lane Kiffin, and I think he’s a cool person.”
When Town was told that Nick Saban was upset over the matter, Town said that he's only in high school, and that the Alabama coach was most likely “moving on.”
Another internet breakup. It's a shame, really.