Demarcus Robinson decommits from Florida, flips back to Clemson

Demarcus Robinson committing to Florida and flipping from Clemson was seen as a coup for Will Muschamp and Joker Phillips last week when it happened. Robinson reportedly flipping back to Clemson, then, is a little more difficult to understand — especially since Robinson was on campus at Florida for an official visit this weekend.

Nevertheless, that's what Rivals' Clemson site, Tiger Illustrated, is reporting, and it's a doozy: Not only was Robinson thought to be trending Florida all last week, and not only was he on campus in Gainesville as of Sunday, Monday begins a recruiting "dead period" in which coaches technically can't have contact with players ... except for early enrollees, which Robinson is.

Robinson is a fantastic four-star player, and all of what I wrote last week about him remains true; I would be stunned if Florida doesn't at least keep pursuing him. But if flipping a committed recruit is hard, flipping a twice-committed recruit is harder still, flipping a committed early enrollee in December is even more difficult, and re-flipping a twice-committed early enrollee in a "dead period" is damn near impossible.

And Florida backed off Notre Dame's Alex Anzalone — who was a Notre Dame commit, then reportedly a silent Florida commit, then once more a full-fledged Notre Dame commit — in a similar situation.

With Robinson out of Florida's class, the Gators have four wide receiver recruits in the fold — Ahmad Fulwood, Alvin Bailey, Marqui Hawkins, and Chris Thompson — and could look a little harder at James Clark of New Smyrna Beach. Robinson's decommitment leaves Florida at 24 commitments for 2012.