Compliance error allows top Baylor recruit to sign elsewhere
Baylor’s issues apparently extend into its compliance department.
The school confirmed to ESPN Thursday that four-star wide receiver Devin Duvernay – the top-rated signee in Baylor’s 2016 class – is free to sign with another program due to an issue with his National Letter of Intent.
The issue? Baylor apparently never properly submitted Duvernay’s paperwork, making his NLI invalid. Duvernay is one of seven Bears signees seeking a release since the removal of head coach Art Briles amid the school’s sexual assault scandal which also resulted in the resignations of school president/chancellor Ken Starr and athletic director Ian McCaw.
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Now, because of the clerical error, Duvernay is free to re-enter the recruiting process and sign elsewhere.
A Baylor spokesman confirmed to ESPN on Thursday that its compliance department has determined that Duvernay does not have a valid NLI and said that information has been relayed to Duvernay’s family and the Baylor coaching staff. Susan Peal, the director of the National Letter of Intent program told ESPN that she could not comment on the specific case.
According to NLI provisions, Baylor had to file Duvernay’s NLI to the conference office within 14 days of the date of the final signature, otherwise the NLI would be deemed invalid.
Henry Duvernay discovered the error while attempting to submit his son’s release request. He was unable to access Devin’s account with the NLI database and reached out to Baylor and the NLI office for their help. Henry Duvernay told ESPN that Peal looked into the situation and determined Baylor did not send in Devin’s signed NLI.
“She said Devin is not in the system,” he said. “She had her people verify that, and he is free to go.”
Additionally, Henry Duvernay told ESPN the family had conversations with other programs Wednesday. Those conversations indicated that Devin is again a recruitable prospect. TCU and Texas are the favorites to land his signature, ESPN reports.
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Meanwhile, Donovan Duvernay, Devin’s twin brother and a fellow Baylor signee, also hopes to receive his release from the school. The three-star athlete’s NLI was submitted correctly, Henry Duvernay told ESPN, so he would need to receive his release from Baylor in order to sign with another program.
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Sam Cooper is a writer for the Yahoo Sports blogs. Have a tip? Email him or follow him on Twitter!
