Tennessee football grants release to Legend Bey, ending weird recruiting saga
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Tennessee football has released 2026 signee Legend Bey from his scholarship agreement, per his request, ending one of the weirdest signing day situations of recent years.
A UT spokesperson confirmed to Knox News that Bey made a formal request for his release on Dec. 16, and the university granted it.
He is now free to sign with another school, presumably Ohio State, and play immediately in the 2026 season.
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.
Bey is a four-star athlete from Heartland, Texas. He was a playmaking quarterback in high school, but projected to play wide receiver in college.
Why Legend Bey didn’t want to play for Tennessee football
On Dec. 3, Bey planned to sign with Ohio State. But in a dramatic turnaround, he switched to Tennessee, the school to which he had originally committed during a back-and-forth recruitment.
Soon after, reports surfaced that indicated Bey signed with Tennessee because of family pressure, specifically from his mother.
BuckNuts.com, the 247Sports site that covers Ohio State, reported that Bey and his mother met privately before he flipped from the Buckeyes to the Vols on signing day. Bey was only 17 years old on signing day. As a minor, he would require his parents’ signature on any scholarship agreement with a university. He turned 18 on Dec. 24.
The family disagreement appeared to be confirmed by posts on Bey’s social media accounts.
On Dec. 4, according to numerous reports, the following message was posted on Bey’s X account and then quickly deleted: “Good Afternoon, I was just recently logged out of my IG (Instagram) and probably will be logged out of this Account as well by my older brother who has access to my account because, I won’t sign to the school him and my mother wants – Legend Bey”
On Dec. 12, more than a week after signing day, Bey made posts on his Instagram account that featured photos of him working out in Ohio State gear while being a Tennessee signee. Along with those photos, he posted: “Imma do my own thing.”
How Legend Bey exit impacts Tennessee football 2026 class
Tennessee signed 28 players in its 2026 class, including Bey.
That class ranked No. 7 in the 247Sports Composite, UT’s highest ranking in 11 years. The ranking will be updated after Bey’s departure is calculated into the class rating.
Tennessee still has a strong class. It features five-star quarterback Faizon Brandon, five-star receiver Tristen Keys and 14 four-star recruits.
Adam Sparks is the Tennessee football beat reporter. Email adam.sparks@knoxnews.com. X, formerly known as Twitter@AdamSparks. Support strong local journalism by subscribing atknoxnews.com/subscribe.
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This article originally appeared on Knoxville News Sentinel: Legend Bey granted release by Tennessee football in 2026 class
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