Prized Mizzou football recruit Sheldon Richardson said Thursday he has changed his commitment from MU to Southern California.

Richardson, from Gateway Tech, has spent the last two falls at College of the Sequoias in California after failing to qualify academically at Mizzou. He sat out all but two games this season with a wrist injury that he says he now has recovered from and did not require surgery.

Although Richardson attended MU's Oct. 23 win over then-BCS No. 1 Oklahoma and said "it felt like home," he committed to USC last weekend.

The main reason, he said, was his belief that USC and well-respected defensive coordinator Monte Kiffin would best prepare him for a transition to the NFL after just one season.

He said the fact USC won't be eligible for a bowl next year because of NCAA sanctions didn't bother him.

Richardson, considered a 5-star recruit out of high school, said he still plans to take other recruiting visits, most likely to Miami, California and Arizona State.

He was vague when asked whether he had told MU of his decision yet.

"Uh, back and forth. I'm going to call them later," he said. "It's kind of hard to tell them I'm not going there no more. Or I think I'm not going no more."

Asked if that meant there still was wiggle room in his decision-making, he said, "A little wiggle room."