Former No. 1 Recruit Bryce Brown Done At Tennessee, What's Next for Him?

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After months of speculation, it's finally happened. Bryce Brown, the former 5-star recruit and No. 1 running back from the 2009 class has finally put an end to the rumors by sending a text message to Tennessee officials stating that he won't be returning. 

This comes after he left the program in March for personal reasons, but did not officially ask for his release. That sparked debate over whether he might have a change of heart and return to the program.

Tennessee head coach Derek Dooley even said that he would be welcomed back onto the team if the circumstances were right.

"I was open to Bryce coming back on the condition that he wanted to unpack his bags and put his heart into this program,” Dooley said Tuesday before adding, “I fully expect Bryce not to be on our team.”

So what's next for the former high school star?

A Look Back At Brown's Career

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Those of you who follow recruiting regularly will remember that Bryce was at the center of a heated and much publicized recruitment back in 2009. He originally pledged his commitment to Miami with a soft verbal, but extended the process six weeks past National Signing Day, to the point that the Hurricanes yanked their offer and moved on without him. For weeks, his name was a hot topic around the country as LSU, Clemson, Tennessee, and others fought for his services. Of course, in the end, Lane Kiffin won, but in hindsight, it doesn't appear to be much of a victory. Kiffin is now the head coach at USC and Brown is nothing but a memory for the Volunteers.  As a freshman, he rushed for 460 yards on 101 carries with three touchdowns, while adding another 137 yards and a touchdown receiving. Brown was the primary backup to Montario Hardesty and would have been the likely starter in 2010 now that Hardsety is with the Cleveland Browns. 

Apparently that wasn't something Brown was willing to stick around for though and now his future is even more uncertain than it was a year ago. 

Will Tennessee Release Him From His Scholarship?

The one major snag in the situation is that Brown has not actually asked for his official release from the Tennessee coaching staff. Until he does, he won't be able to transfer to a new school. Dooley doesn't seem like he's in a hurry to accommodate Brown, though. 

Brown has yet to come to him in person and ask for his release, nor has he made his intentions clear to anyone within the program beyond the text message.

Unless he doesn't intend to play football anymore, Brown will at some point have to sit down with Tennessee officials and iron their issues out. 

At the SEC Media Day, Dooley addressed the situation, but there still has not been a date set for two to meet and discuss Brown's release. 

"The only reason this is dragging is he hasn't ever told me he wanted a release to a certain school, and he's never told me he wants to come back. At some point he's going to have to ask for a release, which I expect will be soon."

Potential Landing Spots

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Naturally, the first place people will think of when discussing potential landing spots for Brown is USC, where the man who recruited him in the first place is now the head coach. There have been rumors about the possibility of such for months, ever since Brown first left Tennessee in March. 

With Joe McKnight and Stafon Johnson, there appears to be an opening at running back, but it's highly unlikely that Brown will stroll onto campus and take the starting job without first overcoming some pretty serious competition. 

The Trojans are expected to roll with Allen Bradford as the starter, with C.J. Cable and Curtis McNeal as his primary backups. But don't forget about incoming freshman Dillon Baxter. Baxter is a 5-star recruit who was rated top five at his position coming out of high school.

That whole situation just doesn't seem like one that Brown would be willing to get involved with.

Now, Kansas State on the other hand, is a much more plausible issue. Brown's older brother Arthur now plays for the Wildcats after transferring from Miami. Remember that Brown originally committed to Miami with the intention of playing alongside his brother. 

When he gets his release for Tennessee it looks like that hope will finally be realized.