The University of Cincinnati has lost its second commitment due to the departure of defensive coordinator and key recruiter Marcus Freeman to Notre Dame.
Four-star linebacker Melvin Jordan, from the 2022 class, announced via Twitter on Monday night that he is decommitting from head coach Luke Fickell and the Bearcats.
"Due to the coaching staff change at the University Of Cincinnati I will be decommitting and fully re-opening my recruitment," Jordan said. "No love lost, but thank you for recruiting me coach Fickell!"
Jordan is the second decommitment for Fickell in less than a week.
Jordan joined fellow 2022 recruit Mumu Bin-Wahad, a three-star defensive back from Grayson High School in Loganville, Georgia, to turn away from Cincinnati. Bin-Wahad announced his decommitment from UC on Jan. 12, citing UC's recent "coaching changes."
Jordan told The Enquirer before announcing his commitment to UC in November that Freeman, who left Cincinnati earlier this month to become the defensive coordinator at Notre Dame, was a big reason why he chose the Bearcats.
"I just trust Coach Freeman to put me in the right position to make plays," he said. "I know he's going to set it up right and do what's best for the team. I just have to do my part and ball."
Jordan, from Calvary Christian High School in Clearwater, Florida, was the highest-rated defensive recruit to commit to UC at the time of his commitment. That later became 2022 four-star Kettering Archbishop Alter High School defensive tackle Derrick Shepard.
Shepard, who committed to the Bearcats on Dec. 11, told The Enquirer last week that Freeman's departure "does not have an impact on me."
A source close to the contract negotiations told The Enquirer on Monday that the deal to bring in longtime Michigan State assistant coach and former Cincinnati assistant Mike Tressel to replace Freeman "should be done tomorrow (Tuesday)."
Tressel, the nephew of former Ohio State Head Coach Jim Tressel, was the linebackers and special teams coach at UC from 2004-06 under then-head coach Mark Dantonio.
Tressel, Dantonio and Fickell were all a part of Ohio State's coaching staff in the early-2000s.
Fickell and the Bearcats picked up a commitment Friday in three-star defensive lineman Segree Graham of Jacksonville, Florida.
The 6-foot-3, 240-pound Graham chose the Bearcats over offers from Indiana, Iowa State, Miami, Arkansas and others.
Graham's commitment came four days after Cincinnati associate head coach and running backs coach Dan Enos accepted the offensive coordinator position at Maryland and two days after offensive coordinator Mike Denbrock interviewed for the same job at Vanderbilt.
Graham's commitment gave UC the fifth-ranked class in the nation, according to 247Sports.com. The Bearcats are now 12th after the decommitment of Jordan.
Fickell is 35-14 in four seasons at Cincinnati. Freeman was his defensive coordinator for all four seasons.
The Bearcats, who were eighth in the final College Football Playoff rankings last season, went 9-0, including a win against Tulsa in the American Athletic Conference championship game, before losing to Georgia in the Peach Bowl on Jan. 1. It was the program's first appearance in a New Year's Six Bowl since making back-to-back appearances following the 2008 and 2009 seasons.