Lance McGee explains Oregon State decommitment
Two things are undeniably true about Sumner senior Lance McGee Lance McGee 6'1" | 215 lbs | RB Sumner | 2026 State WA .
He was one of the nation's most dominant running backs this season, accumulating 2,509 yards and 43 touchdowns on 251 carries.
And his recruitment has been complicated by a series of twists of turns - some of them within his control, some of them not.
On Wednesday, the MaxPreps Washington state player of the year announced his decommitment from the Oregon State Beavers, requesting a release.
Even before that announcement, rumors swirled this week on social media that McGee was ready to flip from Oregon State to Washington State.
Some said the Beavers failed to deliver his NIL money, others insisted Washington State doubled his money and he jumped at a big pay day.
Unsurprisingly, the rumors have failed to accurately describe his situation.
McGee first committed to Oregon State in early June, following official visits to Boise State, Oregon State and Washington State.
He remained solid to the Beavers into the fall, building a close relationship with both head coach Trent Bray and running back coach Ray Pickering during that time.
On October 12 amid an abysmal 0-7 start, Oregon State announced the firing of Bray.
That same day, McGee re-opened his recruitment.
“I was still set on going to Oregon State - even when they were losing at the start of the year,” McGee said. “But I was close with Bray and (coach Pickering), so that changed things.”
Almost immediately, fans began to speculate that Washington State would be the top contender for his services.
But Washington State was dealing with potential coaching changes of their own in the lead-in to Signing Day, as Jimmy Rogers was rumored to be a candidate for another landing spot.
In the meantime, McGee was getting acquainted with the new Oregon State staff.
It also became apparent to him that in the world of modern college football, NIL agreements can fluctuate greatly with a coaching change.
Still, McGee re-committed and signed a financial aid agreement — not a binding National Letter of Intent, he said.
Two days later, Rogers departed for Iowa State and Washington State eventually pivoted to Kirby Moore.
None of that really mattered to McGee.
“I wanted to be a Beaver,” he said. “I was all about the relationships, and I still had some really good ones with returning players.:”
Then came the mass exodus of Oregon State talent.
To date, 33 players have entered the transfer portal, including some of the guys McGee felt most bonded to in Corvallis, including Dexter Foster, who is committed to Nebraska.
They also haven't clarified what positions they are targeting in the transfer portal.
That made McGee uneasy.
When Oregon State flipped Edna Karr (Louisiana) running back Tre Garrison from Washington State on Sunday, McGee was caught off guard.
“I'm a relationship guy,” he said. “I still hadn't actually talked one-on-one with Coach (JaMarcus) Shephard yet and they added another player at my position.”
McGee said he finally spoke to Shephard on Tuesday morning, but by then it was too late.
He announced his decommitment Wednesday evening, but said he has no ill will toward Oregon State and doesn't feel that they broke any promises to him.
The final lead-up to Signing Day for any recruit can be stressful.
For McGee, he experienced coaching changes, or rumored coaching changes, at his top two schools - with the head coaches and his favorite assistant coach at each school leaving in four different waves.
He has since learned that those changes can also bring about significant changes to a staff's priorities.
Still, when it comes to his next home McGee is focused on other things.
“I committed to Oregon State because of relationships,” he said. “My next stop won't be about money. It will be about relationships, and the place that can make me the best football player. That's all I ever really cared about.”
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