Elijah Hood, the seventh-ranked running back and the No. 47 overall recruit in the 2014 ESPN 300, decommitted from Notre Dame on Tuesday.
The news, which was reported earlier by 247Sports.com, is a hit to Notre Dame's 10th-ranked recruiting class.
Hood (Charlotte, N.C./Catholic) took to Twitter to confirm he was back on the recruiting market:
— Elijah Hood (@EHood34) August 20, 2013
Hood's father, Vee Hood, told The Charlotte Observer that something happened recently while his son was on an unofficial visit to South Bend, Ind., and that was a big factor in his decision to open things back up.
"Something changed his mind immediately," Vee Hood told The Observer. "He was scared to tell us. I said there's no need to be scared. It's his decision. I told him, 'You've got to be happy wherever you choose to go.'
"I know he's not going to be going to Notre Dame, and I guess that means he's open to (all colleges) again."
As a junior, the 6-foot, 221-pounder rushed for a Mecklenburg County-record 3,309 yards and scored 48 touchdowns.
Hood, who originally chose the Irish over North Carolina, said at the time he had wrestled with the distance of Notre Dame as opposed to options closer to his home.
Hood also had been considering Georgia and Virginia Tech and held offers from more than 20 programs, including Clemson, Florida State, Miami, Michigan and Ohio State.