Freshman wide receiver Jocquez Bruce was to blueshirt this season for the Tennessee Volunteers. Instead, he will be looking for somewhere else to play his college football. Bruce released a statement saying he will no longer be attending the university and is parting ways following a mutual agreement with Tennessee head coach Butch Jones.
“I would like to announce that I will no longer be attending the University of Tennessee,” Bruce’s statement to the Knoxville News Sentinel said. “Coach Jones and I have talked and have together decided that this is what is best for me at this time. I still plan to attend college, as well as play football, and I look forward to working with Coach Jones, and the University of Tennessee, as they help me find an appropriate fit.”
The Knoxville News Sentinel reports Bruce was suspended indefinitely earlier this week, and Bruce later clarified it was for being late to a class. Bruce has already reportedly heard from multiple potential suitors for his sudden recruitment. Arkansas State, Middle Tennessee State and Memphis are among those considered to be interested, along with FCS Charleston Southern and a junior college (Northeast Oklahoma A&M), per the report.
Bruce was a three-star recruit out of Knoxville in Tennessee’s Class of 2015, according to his Rivals profile. He had agreed to join the program as a blueshirt, which means he joined the program as a preferred walk-on that would later receive a scholarship that can be counted toward the following recruiting cycle’s scholarship count or whenever a scholarship slot opens up within the program.
