Baylor officials announced Thursday that the school has released five 2016 signees from their national letters of intent, which will allow them to enroll at another school without penalty under NCAA rules.
Baylor did not announce which five players were released, but J.P. Urquidez, ranked the No. 17 offensive tackle in the country by ESPN, confirmed to ESPN he was among them. Kameron Martin, the No. 17 running back, was also released, said Bruce Swinton, who coached Martin for three years as an assistant at Memorial High in Port Arthur, Texas.
Donovan Duvernay, the No. 43 athlete, is free to enroll at another school as well, according to his father, Henry Duvernay. Parrish Cobb, the No. 31 cornerback, also received his unconditional release, his family attorney said.
Patrick Hudson, the No. 1 guard, was granted his release, he confirmed.
Hudson, from Silsbee, Texas, told ESPN that he couldn't "confirm anything because my name was not released in the statement." He flipped from Texas A&M to Baylor and is believed to be considering Texas.
As many as seven of the Bears' incoming freshmen in their 17th-ranked 2016 recruiting class asked the school to be released from their letters of intent after former coach Art Briles was suspended with intent to terminate late last month. Briles reached a financial settlement with Baylor last week.
Unless Baylor officials agreed to release the signees, the players would have had to sit out the upcoming season and lose a year of eligibility if they had enrolled at another school.
"I wanted the opportunity to talk with our signees and their families before providing any releases," interim Baylor coach Jim Grobe said in a statement. "This has never been about whether or not we would ultimately provide individuals with a release; we simply asked that we go through the process outlined by the NLI, take some time and have the chance to speak with the student-athletes and their parents. I've enjoyed those opportunities to meet with these families and wish each individual success in all that they do in life."
Donovan Duvernay's twin brother, Devin, the No. 3 wide receiver in the country, announced earlier this week that he plans to enroll at Texas for summer school. After Devin Duvernay committed to play for the Bears earlier this year, the school failed to complete the paperwork for his national letter of intent, which was later voided.
Wide receiver Jared Atkinson of Mesquite, Texas, who had requested a release, has decided to stick with the Bears.