Cincinnati Football: 5 Biggest Recruiting Commit Busts in the Last Decade

In the 2012 Cincinnati Bearcats football recruiting class, 25 3-star recruits were signed (according to Rivals' ranking system), by far one of their best recruiting classes in the school history.

Coach Butch Jones and his coaching staff should be proud of themselves.

However, how many of these 25 3-star guys will end of not living up to the hype, transfer to another school, quit the team or get dismissed from the program.

The answer is...we will only find out in time.

Until then, why don't we take a look at the five biggest recruiting commit busts in the last decade for the Bearcats. 

The first bust on the list goes to running back Terry Arnold out of Tallahassee, Florida. Terry was among the prized recruits in the 2003 recruiting class that featured future Philadelphia Eagles tight end Brent Celek.

Terry was a first-team all state pick by the Florida High School Coaches Association as a senior in high school and was a 3-star recruit, according to Rivals.

There was a ton of hype for Terry, but he only saw some action in his freshman season and had 35 carries for just 87 yards and caught six passes for 20 yards.

In 2004, he moved to the secondary, but played primarily on special teams and just never panned out. He wasn't even on the 2006 roster, which would have been his senior year. 

Tyjuan Jones was a highly touted 3-star cornerback out of the state of Ohio and part of the 2004 recruiting class that featured current Carolina Panther safety Haruki Nakamura.

Jones did not see any playing time in 2004. He then switched to linebacker in 2005 for the Bearcats and  saw a good amount of time in four games.

However, in 2006, he decided to take his talents to Eastern Kentucky and finished up his eligibility against lesser competition.

Freddie Lenix was named the Greater Cleveland area Athlete of the Year in 2005 by the Plain Dealer as a senior at Glenville High.

He was a 3-star recruit that first went to the Ohio State and then transferred to the Cincinnati Bearcats. He was the highest rated player in the 2006 recruiting class and only played in one game.

On Oct. 30, 2006 Jones decided to leave the team for personal reasons and was never heard from again. 

Nick Truesdell was a highly recruited wide receiver out of the state of Ohio, and head coach Brian Kelly and his staff decided to take a chance on Truesdell. Truesdell was one of the prized recruits of the 2008 recruiting class that included two future 2012 NFL draft picks Derek Wolfe and Isaiah Pead.

Truesdell played in the first six games of the season on special teams before he was kicked off the team in November 2008 for stealing from the university bookstore.

Coach Brian Kelly had this to say following the incident: “Playing Big East football for the University of Cincinnati is a privilege. We have expectations for our student-athletes and when those are not met, there are consequences.” 

Things did not get any better for Truesdell after the incident. In August 2010, he pleaded guilty to trafficking in marijuana, a felony carrying a maximum prison sentence of 18 months.

Add in breaking into an Anderson Township home in Ohio in June 2010, and you have yourself a repeat, repeat offender. 

Jamar Howard stood at 6'4'' and 210 pounds and was a 4-star recruit junior college transfer.

Part of the 2009 recruiting class, Howard had good hands and was a possession receiver nightmare. He appeared in five games in 2009 for the Bearcats, catching three passes for 50 yards.

Then he had arthroscopic surgery on his left knee and never was the same thereafter. Howard ended up transferring to Central Missouri to finish out his remaining eligibility. 

Moreover, hype goes a long way in recruiting and too many times those 3- or 4-star recruits never pan out because of the high expectations that come right away with a high rating.