Ramsey makes the call

Five-star Smyrna (Tenn.) cornerback Jalen Ramsey has been pegged to de-commit from USC for months, but rumors of his decision to commit elsewhere were put to rest each time.

Signing day eve, USC officially loses Ramsey, but not to the Florida school constantly rumored that he'd be signing with.

"Jalen told me he called Lane Kiffin and Tee Martin yesterday to de-commit from USC," said his father, Lamont Ramsey. "Jalen told them that he would commit to Florida State instead.

"Jalen and I have yet to talk about it. I want to discuss things with him just to make sure he is making the right decision for the right reasons. This is going to be his decision because this is the next four years of his life, not mine. But we need to go over it before he signs anywhere. Not so much for him, but for me."

Ramsey, rated the nation's No. 3 cornerback, was solidly committed to USC as late as his final in-home visit with the Trojans head coach, Lane Kiffin.

However, changes in the coaching staff at USC helped begin to undermine that pledge well before the in-home meeting.

In contrast, Florida State hired Jeremy Pruitt and Sal Sunseri - two coaches Ramsey had built relationships with at Alabama and Tennessee.

"It's probably a combination of things," said Ramsey. "I think he felt so much had changed at USC since he committed. I know the hardest thing for him was telling Chris Hawkins and Su'a Cravens that he wasn't coming. They felt like they were in this thing together."

Ramsey becomes Florida State's first five-star commitment for 2013 and commitment No. 18 for the Seminole's overall. USC now has a total of 13 commitments, with that number expected to dip below 12 by signing day.

For all the latest Trojan recruiting news, stay tuned to USCFootball.com.