Football: Rolin Sacks South Carolina, Swaps Commitment to SEC Rival Florida

(Dec. 10, 2012) - Briar Woods High School senior standout Matt Rolin, committed to the University of Carolina since May, has changed his commitment to one of the Gamecocks SEC Rivals, the University of Florida over the weekend.

Rolin, a 4-star linebacker, had nearly 30 offers before initially choosing USC, a school he has strong family ties to. The 6-foot-4, 215-pound Rolin is recovering from a knee injury -- the surgery South Carolina recruiting sites report was performed by the Gamecocks team doctor -- that knocked him out of the VHSL playoffs in the regional quarterfinals.


The Falcons, with Rolin on the sidelines, went on to captured a third straight Division 4 title on Saturday at Liberty University with a 52-0 win over Heritage of Lynchburg.

Rolin had been a highly-touted South Carolina recruit, even changing his Twitter name to @USC_9.

That, however, has now changed to @Rolin_9 after he went public with the change in a series of tweets Sunday:

• "Going back on my word is something I never imagined myself doing and it hurts me to do it, but in end I have do what's best for me."
• "That being said, I would like to let everyone know that I have decommited from The University of South Carolina."
• "I would like to thank the Carolina coaches an fans for all the support and hope you understand that I prayed about this an it's best for me."
• "I have officially committed to THE University of #Florida. I will be wearing #9 as I continue to chase my dreams at #Florida #GatorNation."