LOS ANGELES -- ESPN 150 defensive end Kylie Fitts (Redlands, Calif./Redlands East Valley) decommitted from USC on Tuesday, sending a shock wave through the recruiting world that not even he saw coming.
Fitts, an early enrollee who had been committed to the Trojans since April, had signed and submitted his scholarship paperwork to USC. The four-star prospect was even out shopping for dorm essentials recently with his mother. He was set to enroll Thursday and attend his first class on Jan. 14, but those plans changed.
"Something happened recently that questioned my trust in USC, so I'm reopening my recruitment," Fitts said. "It literally broke my heart. I broke down and cried. It was so hard for me and my family. It's just what's best for me at this moment. I'm putting in God's hands and trusting that everything will work out."
Fitts became the fifth decommitment for the Trojans, joining Max Redfield, Eldridge Massington, Eddie Vanderdoes and Sebastian LaRue. The latest one was undoubtedly the most surprising.
Fitts, who participated in the U.S. Army All-American Bowl game over the weekend, said there were a number of developments in his recruitments that led to his decommitment, but declined to specify the reason for the last-minute switch.
"I've been committed for almost a year now, and it's been hard for me," Fitts said. "The fact that this is happening so late in the process, it's hard to find a college. My parents and I will meet with my head coach and come up with a good game plan of what colleges I'm interested in."
Fitts, who saw his senior season end prematurely due to a broken wrist, officially visited USC the weekend of Dec. 7 along with the other early enrollees. He also took a trip to Washington on Nov. 9 and has a sibling who attends UCLA.
"Those two schools are some possible choices," Fitts said. "I told USC that they're still high on my list. I still want to consider them, but I need to take a step back. Coach [Ed] Orgeron and Coach [Lane] Kiffin still want me a lot, and they want to keep recruiting me. They're going to recruit the heck out of me, they said."
USC now has 14 commitments in its recruiting class.