Coach: Vols pull offer from 4-star DE Marques Ford

Former Tennessee commitment Marques Ford is "definitely a little bit angry," according to his high school coach, after being told Wednesday there was no longer room for him in the Vols recruiting class.

Frank LaRosa, who coached the defensive end at East Bay High School near Tampa, Fla., said Ford received a call from Tennessee defensive line coach Steve Stripling on Wednesday — exactly two weeks before national signing day.

"It's an ugly business," LaRosa said. " … In the nasty business, they kept it sort of honest by at least saying that they had other commits and they were pulling his commitment."

Stripling passed along word that because of a crowded class, Ford, who has a four-star rating from recruiting services, would not be able to play for the Vols this fall.

Tennessee assistant athletics director for media relations Jason Yellin said he was not aware of Ford's decommitment.

LaRosa said Ford had been excited to play for Tennessee since committing in July. He chose the Vols over offers from dozens of schools, including Wisconsin, Ole Miss and Mississippi State, according to 247sports.com.

"He enjoyed his time on the campus and really liked it and thought that was going to be a fit for four years," LaRosa said.

Ford did not respond to an interview request left on his voicemail.

Ford (6-4, 230) cited "circumstances" on his Twitter account as the reason he was no longer committed to Tennessee.



Five minutes after sending the tweet announcing his decision, Ford asked on Twitter, "Well now what ...."

Ryan Callahan, a recruiting analyst for 247sports.com, said Ford's split from the program had to do with the size of this year's recruiting class.

"There's only so much room in the class, and I think they were coming up against that limit," Callahan said. "With that being the case, and with Tennessee having three other highly touted defensive ends in this class and three highly touted defensive tackles, I think those are all major factors."

Defensive ends Kyle Phillips, a Hillsboro product, and Andrew Butcher have already arrived on campus as part of Tennessee's 2015 class, along with defensive tackle Shy Tuttle. The Vols also have commitments from defensive tackles Kahlil McKenzie, a five-star recruit, and Quay Picou, as well as defensive end Darrell Taylor.

Ford's departure, which slid Tennessee from third to fourth in 247sports.com's national recruiting rankings, leaves the school with 27 commitments for its class of 2015. That number includes the Vols' 10 January enrollees. The class might still grow by signing day.

"I think there's a good chance they end up with at least 28," Callahan said. "I think it's entirely possible they could sign more than that. Probably not more than 30 under any circumstances, but I could see at least 28 or 29 depending on how things play out."