Legend Bey granted release from NLI at Tennessee, per report
By Sydney Hunte
Published:
Legend Bey, the Dallas-Fort Worth area recruit who signed with Tennessee during the Early Signing Period, won’t be a Volunteer after all.
Bey was granted his release from his NLI on Tuesday, according to KnoxNews’ Adam Sparks. But how things got to this point in the first place makes for an interesting story.
The North Forney (Tex.) product was a dynamic dual-threat quarterback in high school but opted to switch to wide receiver in college. After collecting a host of offers, including from Tennessee, he committed to Josh Heupel and the Vols in June, weeks after an official visit.
That was before he took an official visit to Ohio State in November, leading him to flip his pledge to the Buckeyes. With all signs pointing to him signing for Ryan Day’s program during the Early Signing Period, though, he instead signed with the Volunteers, reportedly because his mother wouldn’t sign off on his NLI to play for Ohio State.
It didn’t end there, though, per Sparks:
As a coveted recruit, Bey undoubtedly signed a lucrative NIL deal with Tennessee. But by rule, a university cannot pay direct school-to-player NIL money until the student-athlete is enrolled and on campus, which means UT had not paid him any money yet.
That brings us to Tuesday. With Bey no longer part of Tennessee’s 2026 recruiting class, all signs point to him signing with the Buckeyes in February. That is, of course, barring any more twists and turns.
Sydney is an Atlanta-based journalist who has covered everything from SEC and ACC football to MLS, the U.S. men's national soccer team and professional tennis. His work has appeared on such platforms as SB Nation, Cox Media Group and FanSided.
