Tennessee's Top Signee Released From His Letter Of Intent After Coaching Change

Four-star defensive end Dylan Brooks is no longer going to be a member of Tennessee's 2021 class.

The former signee has been released from his letter of intent with the Volunteers, according to multiple reports.

Brooks is the top member of Tennessee's signing class, per 247Sports. He is the No. 125 prospect in the country and the No. 8 strongside defensive end, according to Rivals.

He signed with Tennessee in December 2020 under former head coach Jeremy Pruitt, and Tennessee has undergone many leadership changes including hiring former UCF head coach Josh Heupel to lead the team.

Yahoo Sports reports the move to release Brooks from his letter of intent comes after Brooks went public with Tennessee's refusal to budge on his commitment — he is the second player to be released from his letter of intent this week. Four-star running back Cody Brown was also released from his letter of intent with the Vols.

“They have not called me one single time,” Brooks' high school coach Larry Strain told Al.com this week. “Isn’t that ironic? I’ve been doing this for 30 years. Obviously, this particular situation is different, but I really don’t know anything other than what I’m hearing through Dylan.”

A radio station in Birmingham reported early Friday that Brooks would be allowed to get out of his letter of intent under the condition that he didn't sign with another SEC school.

But Rivals' Volquest.com reported hours later Brooks was free to sign with any school because National Signing Day has passed and players are free to sign wherever they would like. 

The four-star appears to have commit to Auburn since Tennessee released him.