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Ross wavers on school choice

Gaither RB backs off commitment to Irish.

By MIKE READLING

© St. Petersburg Times, published January 29, 2001

TAMPA -- Just like on many of the runs that put him in position to be one of the hottest recruits in the country, Gaither's Lydell Ross has changed directions.

Five days after announcing he would attend Notre Dame, Ross returned from a visit to the University of Florida and is back to weighing his options.

"I would say he's considering both of them," his mother, Francine Ross, said Sunday. "He still hasn't made a decision."

Ross, who could not be reached for comment on Sunday, was quoted on rivals.com, a nationally recognized recruiting Web site, as saying he is no longer a Fighting Irish commitment and that the Gators are in the race.

"I'm not a Notre Dame commitment anymore," Ross told the Web site."Just tell everybody that I'm torn between Notre Dame and Florida. I really liked everything about Florida this weekend and, to be honest, the Florida visit was a little better."

Those words mark what is almost a 180-degree turn from his words Tuesday night when Ross stood in his living room and told Notre Dame coach Bob Davie and three assistants that he was headed to South Bend, Ind.

Oral commitments are non-binding and players are allowed to change their minds until they sign a letter of intent. The earliest a player can sign this year is Feb. 7.

Ross, who won the Guy Toph trophy Thursday as Hillsborough County's best football player, finished his career as the county's all-time leading rusher with 5,120 yards. In 2000, he set a regular-season record with 2,150 yards and a single-season record, finishing with 2,698 yards.

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