7 Baylor Recruits Reportedly Request Release from NLI's After Art Briles' Firing

The Baylor Bears are already hemorrhaging recruits in 2017, and a mass exodus from their 2016 class may be on the horizon with Art Briles' imminent departure.

ESPN.com's Jeremy Crabtree reported Wednesday that seven members of the Bears' 2016 class are asking the school to release them from their national letters of intent.

Offensive tackle JP Urquidez is one of the seven, according to his father:

"

@SBNationCFB @HamiltonESPN @max_olson @jeremycrabtree @JP_OT2016 pic.twitter.com/SzVcdGqqjF

— Julian T Urquidez (@julianturquidez) June 1, 2016"

According to Crabtree, Devin Duvernay, Patrick Hudson, Jared Atkinson, Kameron Martin, Parrish Cobb and Donovan Duvernay are also looking to get out of their letters of intent. Below is where each of the seven, including Urquidez, ranks overall and at his position, per 247Sports' composite rankings:

Recruit	Pos. Rank	Overall Rank
Devin Duvernay, WR	No. 4	No. 36
Patrick Hudson, OG	No. 2	No. 50
JP Urquidez, OT	No. 21	No. 243
Kameron Martin, APB	No. 7	No. 267
Parrish Cobb, CB	No. 30	No. 305
Jared Atkinson, WR	No. 68	No. 419
Donovan Duvernay, ATH	No. 61	No. 885

Devin Duvernay's family told Max Olson and Gerry Hamilton of ESPN.com on Thursday that the wideout is set to sign elsewhere after "being told by the national letter of intent program that the university never submitted his NLI paperwork." Olson and Hamilton added that sources "with both the Big 12 and one conference school" confirmed Duvernay's NLI was invalid.

Olson added that TCU and Texas are the front-runners for Duvernay, while his twin brother, Donovan, is still seeking his own release from the program.

On Friday, Cobb's father took a stand as well. According to Jessica Morrey of KCEN, Cobb's father waited outside interim head coach Jim Grobe's press conference and asked media members to ask Grobe when he would release his son. Cobb's father said he had to take these measures because his phone calls aren't being answered, per Morrey.

Baylor hired Grobe to take over for Briles on an interim basis, but that has done little to quell the uncertainty around the team's future. The uncertainty is extending to next year as well. According to 247Sports, the Bears have recently lost five commits from their 2017 class, including dual-threat quarterback Kellen Mond.

Mond announced his decommitment Wednesday:

Crabtree noted that any player who signed a letter of intent with Baylor is obligated to the school "unless he doesn't meet admissions or eligibility requirements; he doesn't attend any institution for at least one academic year; the school has been charged with breaking NCAA recruiting rules; or he is released by the university."