Texas true freshman linebacker Cecil Cherry, the leader of Texas' touted "Florida Five" group of incoming recruits, has elected to transfer.
Cherry, a three-star recruit from Frostproof, Florida, quit the team after three days of participating in fall practice, his father, Winston Cherry, confirmed to ESPN.com.
"It's just not the right fit for him," Winston Cherry said. "Once he gets his [release] papers, we'll find him a home with someone who needs him. He needs to be somewhere where he's needed real bad."
After Texas' practice on Tuesday night, coach Charlie Strong confirmed only that he's "spoken with" Cherry and backup running back Duke Catalon, who also reportedly intends to transfer. Neither player was at practice on Tuesday.
"We always want guys to stay here, but it's also this: Anything you get in this program, you're going to earn," Strong said. "We have a lot of guys in this program, and let's focus on our guys that we have here right now."
Catalon, a former ESPN 300 recruit from Houston, had yet to play in a game for Texas after redshirting as a freshman in 2014.
Cherry's departure means defensive back Davante Davis is currently the only member of the initial "Florida Five" group still on the team. ESPN 300 tight end recruit Devonaire Clarington has yet to be cleared to enroll at Texas, which began fall practice Friday. Prep school receiver Gilbert Johnson failed to qualify, and defensive back Tim Irvin flipped to Auburn in January.
Cherry was practicing as the Longhorns' backup middle linebacker. With senior linebacker Dalton Santos recovering from an ankle injury, Cherry was working with the No. 2 defense behind fellow freshman Malik Jefferson, an ESPN 300 recruit who enrolled early.
"It has nothing to do with Malik," Winston Cherry said. "It's just the scheme they have doesn't fit the type of ballplayer my son is. It's not what he needs."
Cecil Cherry was considered the leader of the "Florida Five" group, which was expected to play an important role in Strong's first full recruiting class at Texas. He initially committed to Tennessee before he made his pledge to Texas in December.
His father made it clear he did not want him to back out on the Volunteers in the first place, and he felt strongly that signing with Texas was a mistake.
"Tennessee was a perfect fit for him," Winston Cherry said. "Texas wasn't the right place for him to go. I knew this wasn't going to last, because the simple fact is this wasn't put together right. It was just a matter of time."
He also noted his son was disappointed by the fact that he was assigned the No. 52 jersey for this season instead of his preferred No. 3.
Winston Cherry said the family has no plans yet on where Cecil will go next. He will return home this weekend and will have to sit out the 2015 season as a transfer if he enrolls at another Football Bowl Subdivision program.