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          A&M assistant's tweets add fuel to fire of No. 3 QB's decommitment

          • Sam Khan Jr., ESPN Staff WriterMay 5, 2016, 04:07 PM
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            • Covers Texas A&M and the SEC.
            • Joined ESPN in 2012.
            • Graduate of the University of Houston.
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          The decommitment of one highly regarded quarterback prospect led to an eventful night -- and not in a good way -- for the Texas A&M Aggies.

          ESPN 300 quarterback Tate Martell, the third-ranked dual-threat quarterback in the 2017 class, announced Wednesday that he was reopening his recruiting process, ending his longtime commitment to Texas A&M.

          Martell, who plays at Las Vegas high school powerhouse Bishop Gorman, committed to the Aggies last August but gradually softened on Texas A&M in recent months, announcing last month that he was planning to take visits and was still listening to other schools. He made his decision public via Twitter on Wednesday:

          Things got interesting when minutes after Martell's announcement, Texas A&M receivers coach Aaron Moorehead tweeted about "loyalty."

          More tweets of a similar theme followed that one shortly thereafter, including one claiming that Moorehead "wasn't even talking about who everyone thinks I'm talking about." (NCAA rules dictate that college coaches cannot publicly mention a prospective student-athlete by name until he signs a letter of intent or financial aid agreement with the school.)

          Later on, receiver Mannie Netherly, the No. 181 overall player in the ESPN 300, announced he decommitted and referenced the tweets from his "future coach" in his Twitter post. Netherly originally committed to the Aggies in November but recently visited LSU and even sported LSU gloves at The Opening Houston Regional. But he had maintained he was committed to Texas A&M.

          Moorehead didn't back off his original comments.

          Wednesday night's events, however, caught the attention of other recruits, including ESPN 300 receiver Tyjon Lindsey:

          Utah 2016 athlete signee Davir Hamilton also chimed in.

          Some recruits seemed to echo a similar sentiment to Moorehead's, including 2017 linebacker Ariel Ngata from California:

          Or Stanford 2016 quarterback signee K.J. Costello, also an ESPN 300 recruit: