Four-star RB Jordan Scarlett decommits from FAU because he'd 'need to carry the team'

Rivals four-star RB Jordan Scarlett thinks very highly of himself.

In December, the Fort Lauderdale, Fla., recruit in the class of 2015 decided to stay home and verbally commit to Florida Atlantic. If and when he signed his scholarship, he'd be a huge recruiting coup for the Owls, who finished 6-6 in 2013 and didn't go to a bowl game.

Scarlett knew that too. And when decommitting from FAU this week, he cited his excellence as one of the reasons for re-opening his recruitment.

"I felt like FAU wasn't the best decision for me academically and out on the football field," Scarlett told the Sun-Sentinel. "At my position, you need your body and at FAU, I would need to carry the team and I'm trying to get my body ready for the NFL."

Why did he commit to FAU in the first place? Well, the Owls hired his former high school coach as running backs coach. When committing to FAU, Scarlett talked about wanting to stay close to home. That sentiment obviously got overridden.

Scarlett is the No. 13 running back in the country and, according to Rivals, has offers from Alabama, Florida, Florida State, Miami, Wisconsin and others. So, clearly, he can stay nearby if he so chooses and play for a school that routinely gets four-star prospects.

While we appreciate the honesty, there's something about his reasoning that rubs us the wrong way. Sure, it's one thing to be a good player and realize it, but to automatically assume you'll be your college's best player -- before stepping onto a college football field as a member of the team -- is a large assumption, even for a heralded recruit interested in a smaller school.

With the likely choice of a more-heralded football school, the odds of being the focal point of his future school's offense are a lot lower. Sure, not having to "carry the team" may mean less wear and tear, but it also may mean considerably less exposure to the NFL, which is clearly Scarlett's top priority already even if he still has a year of high school football to play.

That means there are at least four seasons of football until he's eligible for the NFL. A heck of a lot can happen in four years, whether it's at FAU or Alabama.

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Nick Bromberg is the assistant editor of Dr. Saturday on Yahoo Sports. Have a tip? Email him at nickbromberg@yahoo.com or follow him on Twitter!

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