Bleacher Report: Five recruits whose decision will impact others in the 2011 class

by Bryan Kelly

In recruiting, no decision is without cause and effect.

Unless the depth chart is wide open and the competition is within reason, no four-star quarterback wants to go where a five-star is already headed. The math just doesn't bear out.

Here are five recruits on whose decisions many future commitments currently hinge. What they decide might not determine the fate of the universe, but it will certainly affect who goes where when.

RB Malcolm Brown

Malcolm Brown, Scout's No. 2 prospect overall and the most electric running back I've ever watched at the high school level, is probably a lock for the Texas Longhorns.

If he does commit soon, his decision could precipitate commitments from Texas' other top running back targets, players like Aaron Green (who is already favoring Nebraska), Isaiah Crowell (to either Alabama or Georgia), and Harvey Langi (to BYU).

A lot is hinging on whether Brown picks Texas, Alabama or Oklahoma—and the Sooners might have just grabbed their RB of the future in former Baylor commit Brandon Williams.

The winds are already favoring the Longhorns here—we'll see if and how they change when Brown decides.

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