Pumpkinhead said:

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Howland having issues with one of his 4-star rated 2017 recruits. This is a kid that we were trying to get in the mix for at one time.

Quote:

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2017 Auburn (AL)/Mississippi State commit C Garrison Brooks has requested a release from his LOI. (HT @ GTuckerHoops)

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Update: Howland and the MSU AD are playing hardball and won't release Brooks

Quote:

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Garrison Brooks' request of a release from his letter of intent to Mississippi State was denied, and now the Auburn High forward has two options.

"Either go to prep school or (Mississippi) State," he said.


The 6-foot-9 Brooks, a four-star recruit, hasn't said much about the saga, but did confirm, as ESPN reported, that Mississippi State coach Ben Howland wants him to be a Bulldog.

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http://www.al.com/sports/index.ssf/2017/04/mississippi_state_garrison_bro.html

Not a transfer request. A request for release from a LOI.

Denials of those happen from time to time.

But Howland has released him from the LOI according to updated stories I am seeing.


The player appealed to the NCAA/NLI committee, which denied the appeal. Howland then released him. I'm not sure of Howland's motivations, but he certainly definitely made a point to the kid about signing a binding document.

Hop said:

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Refusing a kid's transfer request can't be good for future recruiting. We'll see how this plays out, but rarely does strong-arming a kid work in getting him to stay.

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Refusing a release from a NLI is actually a normal and common thing to do. He can transfer and sit out a year if he wants. Sounds like they actually did release him in this case. I wouldn't.