Jonathan Pollock, a freshman linebacker who participated in spring camp after graduating early from his Orlando, Fla., high school, is transferring from the Rutgers football program, his father, Al, confirmed after multiple media outlets reported the transfer Thursday afternoon.

"He's literally on a 6 o'clock flight out there tonight,'' Al Pollock said.

A 5-foot-11, 222-pound linebacker, Pollock first committed to former Rutgers coach Kyle Flood in October 2014 and stayed true to his commitment for more than a year as approximately a dozen other schools offered scholarships.

Honored to be the 1st player that Coach Ash visited. Can't wait to play for him. Ready to go now #AshEra #CHOPNation pic.twitter.com/6ECZouk9df — Jonathan Pollock (@kingpollock) December 9, 2015

Pollock, who reaffirmed his pledge two days after Chris Ash was hired as the Scarlet Knights coach in December during an in-home visit with Ash, was considered a pied piper of the 2016 recruiting class, helping convince some of his peers to stay committed amid the coaching turnover.

"Coach Ash has definitely called me up on many occasions and said, 'Hey, we really want this guy, we really want this guy, we really want this guy: Go get 'em.' '' Pollock told NJ Advance Media prior to enrolling last January. "And that's what I'm doing."

In the same report, Pollock discussed his goal of winning "a national championship'' at Rutgers.

"I never had second thoughts about Rutgers," said Pollock, whose steadfast commitment made him a fan favorite during the recruiting process. "It's a great education, great conference, great football. Just being around there, you can tell it's a football school. They want to win, the fans have been hungry for it for years and I think that this class is going to bring something that a lot of classes haven't.''

A consensus three-star recruit who was rated as the No. 61 linebacker nationally by Scout.com and the 89th-best linebacker prospect by ESPN, Pollock will explore options both on the FBS and FCS levels and is expected to pick his next destination within the next two weeks, his father said.

"He loves Rutgers,'' Al Pollock said. "He loves Chris. He loves his teammates. He's going to miss them. He was committed there for a year and a half and he loved his time there. It just didn't work out.''

Pollock is the fifth player to transfer since coach Ash was hired in December, following freshman defensive end Marques Ford, freshman tight end Anthony Folkerts senior safety Davon Jacobs and junior tight end Charles Scarff.

The website ScarletNation.com was the first to report Pollock's transfer Thursday afternoon.

Keith Sargeant may be reached at ksargeant@njadvancemedia.com. Follow him on Twitter @KSargeantNJ. Find NJ.com Rutgers Football on Facebook.