PonyPride.com - 3-star Minor Explains Commitment!

October 24, 2012

Sam Erwin
PonyPride.com Associate Editor

When news broke on Tuesday that SMU had gotten a commitment from Houston Lamar 2013 athlete Cedric Lancaster eyes immediately turned to his teammate and best friend Zelt Minor.

Though Minor was committed to the University of Houston at the time Lancaster admitted that he was going to talking to his friend about SMU.

"I probably have influence on Zelt going to SMU but I can't say what he is going to do," explained Lancaster on Monday. "He is going to do what he wants to do. I have talked to him about it but I can't say what he will do."

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On Wednesday afternoon it became clear what the three-star defensive end would do when Minor called the Houston coaching staff and decommitted before calling SMU coach Jason Phillips and giving his pledge to SMU.

"I really like the U of H," explained Minor. "But the thing is that I want to go to college and play with Cedric. We grew up together, went to high school together and all of that. My thought was that I was waiting on U of H to offer Cedric so we could go together but then SMU offered him and that was my other option so I decided to go play with him there."

While the 6-foot-3, 260-pounder says that playing with Lancaster was a part of his decision it wasn't the only reason he likes SMU.

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"I feel like SMU will give me a better chance of reaching my goals in life as far as education goes. It's a very good school education wise and it's a football team on the rise."

Of course the hardest part of switching your commitment isn't picking the new school necessarily, it's telling the coaches who've been talking to the recruits for years.

"The Houston staff just asked me why when I told them and I gave them the honest answer that I wanted to play with Cedric. I told them I appreciated their interest in me and was very respectful. It kind of tore me up inside at first but then I decided that I had to do what was best for me and swallow my pride."

The thing that fans will immediately point to with this flipped commitment is the fact that SMU is fresh off of a 72-42 victory over Houston. While Minor says that the game wasn't the main reason he switched his commitment he does admit it was in the back of his head.

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"I didn't even watch the game to be honest, I just heard what happened in the game and I didn't know what to think. I was just kind of like 'wow'. I was stunned."

Minor says that he visited the SMU campus over the summer and liked what he saw. The defensive end also says that him and Cedric plan to attend an SMU game soon, perhaps as soon as this Saturday against Memphis, but don't have plans set it stone yet.

This is the 23rd commitment of the 2013 class for SMU.

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