When accepting a commitment from a class (or two) ahead of the current one, it’s always a dicey proposition.

There’s generally more than a year until the said prospect can sign on the dotted line. As such, the verbal agreement is constantly tested by a multitude of other college coaches trying to woo the player to their school.

Missouri found this out the hard way on Saturday — as 2018 commitment Josh Smith decided to open up the recruiting process:

A 3-star prospect out of New Orleans, the defensive end pledged his services to Barry Odom and his staff this past August. While he didn’t have any others offers, Odom clearly identified Smith as a player worthy of a scholarship.

With Smith reneging on the commitment, Missouri is left with one commitment in the 2018 class: WR Harry Ballard III.