Boyd pulls commitment to UT

Tajh Boyd has de-committed from Tennessee following a conversation about his future with newly hired football coach Lane Kiffin.

A source close to Boyd’s recruitment told the News Sentinel on Wednesday that Boyd pulled back his commitment when Kiffin warned him that he might not be happy with UT’s pro-style offensive system.

Boyd’s father, Tim Boyd, confirmed the News Sentinel’s report later that evening.

Boyd, a 6-foot, 210-pound quarterback from Phoebus High School in Hampton, Va., is rated the No. 3 dual-threat quarterback in the nation. Kiffin’s system traditionally has featured a pocket passer, such as former Southern California quarterbacks Matt Leinart and Carson Palmer.

Boyd committed to UT in November after de-committing to West Virginia following the Mountaineers’ offensive struggles earlier this season.

Boyd’s scholarship was not pulled despite a report to the contrary from a recruiting Web site Wednesday afternoon, the source said.

“(Kiffin) said he would honor the scholarship if he still wanted to come, but he didn’t want Tajh coming there and then being unhappy,” Tim Boyd told the Daily Press in Newport News, Va. “It’s not like he pulled the offer. He said he wants what’s in Tajh’s best interest.”

It’s unclear where Boyd, who plans to enroll in college in January, might land. He has visited Boston College and Virginia Tech. He will visit Penn State this weekend and Ohio State on Dec. 12.

Boyd is a significant loss in terms of his recruiting stature. He is a consensus top-100 prospect in the nation.

© 2008, Knoxville News Sentinel Co.
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