Pride Back On The Market

One of Notre Dame's top defensive back targets is back on the market.

Greer (S.C.) High three-star cornerback Troy Pride decommitted from Virginia Tech early Thursday.

"Firstly, I would like to thank God for all that He has blessed me with throughout this process and the opportunities that have been afforded to me," said Pride wrote Twitter. "With that being said, I would like to announce my decommitment from Virginia Tech due to the unpredictable future. I still have tremendous respect for their coach staff including Coach Gray and #HokieNation, but this huge decision has prompted me to step back and think some things over and closely evaluate my decision. VT remains one of my top schools because of the respect and love they have given my family and I. I am currently reopening my recruitment."

Pride, who took an official visit to Notre Dame for the USC game back in mid-October, said last month after Frank Beamer announced his planned retirement at Virginia Tech, that he was solid on his pledge to the Hokies, but revealed that he was considering the Irish.

"I know where I am with ND !!," Pride said in a message.

But while Notre Dame looks like a logical destination for the senior cornerback, other schools are in the mix.

Pride took an unofficial visit to Tennessee on Oct. 10 and was at North Carolina this past weekend. He has also taken trips to both Clemson and Georgia Tech, and has started to hear from schools like N.C. State and Ole Miss.

"There's not really a gameplan," Pride said after his Notre Dame visit when asked about his recruitment.

"It's just me really trying to find what's best for me. I have already seen that Virginia Tech can be a great place and I think it was — or is — still think best place for me. Taking visits kind of reassures that or shows me something that's different out there. I just want to make sure I'm making the right decision for me. I don't want to be so narrow minded that I miss out on something. I want to be able to take it all in, see everything, and then make my decision off of that. If I still stay committed, I still stay committed."

The 6-0, 165-pound cornerback is ranked by Rivals.com as the No. 11 prospect in South Carolina.