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Reports: 7 Baylor signees have asked for their release (Update)

Nick Bromberg
College football and motorsports writer

Update: June 3 - 2:30 p.m.

Collis Cobb, the father of Baylor signee Parrish Cobb, told Fox Sports that Baylor still hasn't granted his son's release.

"Bennett told us that we'd have to follow through with the appeal process," Collis Cobb said. "What I took from that is they're not going to release anybody."

Grobe's response, according to Cobb: "He said he couldn't sign off on that (the release) alone."

Cobb said he plans to call the Baylor compliance office again on Friday and wait to see what the Big 12 office says.

"I'm very surprised that it has come to this," Collis Cobb said. "My son didn't ask for any of this. He wasn't at Baylor when all these incidents happened. He just wants to move forward."

Original Story: June 1 - 6:30 p.m.

Baylor's incoming freshman football class could be a lot smaller than originally expected.

According to ESPN, seven signees from the class of 2016 are requesting to be released from their National Letters of Intent including wide receiver Devin Duvarney. Here are the other six:

Baylor's 2016 class that signed in February ranked as the best in school history, but signees Patrick Hudson, J.P. Urquidez, Jared Atkinson, Kameron Martin, Parrish Cobb and Donovan Duvernay have already requested releases from their NLI that bind them to the university, sources close to all seven confirmed.

Baylor's class was ranked No. 17 in the country by Rivals.

• Devin Duvarney is a four-star recruit from Sachse, Texas while Donovan is a three-star athlete. Devin is the No. 8 wide receiver in the nation.

• Cobb is a four-star defensive back from Waco. He's the No. 12 cornerback in the country.

• Atkinson is a 3-star wide receiver from Mesquite, Texas.

• Hudson is a four-star offensive lineman from Silsbee, Texas and the No. 3 guard.

• Urquidez is a four-star offensive lineman from Copperas Cove, Texas and the No. 9 offensive tackle.

• Martin is a four-star running back from Port Arthur, Texas and the No. 7 all-purpose back.

The school has 30 days from the time of a request to make a determination to release an athlete from his letter of intent. A player can get out of an NLI without the school's official consent under certain circumstances. However, a coaching change (Baylor fired coach Art Briles) isn't one of them. Breaking NCAA rules is, but there's no indication the school is facing any NCAA scrutiny for the way it's handled sexual assault allegations. And if it would, NCAA action wouldn't be immediate.

Collis Cobb, the father of Parrish Cobb, told Fox Sports that someone in Baylor compliance office declined to grant Parrish's release. The Cobbs received a visit from acting head coach Jim Grobe, who Baylor brought in to replace Briles for the 2016 season. The elder Cobb told Fox the visit went well, but it didn't sway their stance.

From Fox Sports:

On Wednesday Collis Cobb said he got a visit from Jim Grobe, Baylor's new acting head coach, and three other staffers who visited his home in Waco to try to convince them to stick with Baylor. The elder Cobb said it was a "good visit, but we let them know my son wants to pursue other options. His mind is made up."

The Cobbs' biggest concern is the uncertainty around Baylor. "Right now, we don't know the status of Baylor's football program," Collis Cobb said. "We don't know if (the current coaching staff) is going be there through 2017 or 2018. No one can give us that information."

Cobb is hoping Baylor understands his son's situation and lets him out since things have changed dramatically since he signed there in February. His son was supposed to report earlier this week and is now missing out on the first session of summer school, he said. He hopes Parrish will be able to be at his new school in time for the second summer session.

"All I can say is, it's in Baylor's hands now," Collis Cobb said. "I'm hoping they want to do right by these kids."

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Additionally, Urquidez's father spoke out on Twitter.

Baylor signed nine four-star recruits and 23 players overall. If it released all seven, it would have 16 signees and four four-star recruits as part of the class.

Quarterback Jarrett Stidham, the quarterback who was the prize of Baylor's 2015 recruiting class, said he was still committed to the school over the weekend. Defensive back Grayland Arnold, a three-star member of the 2016 class, tweeted that he was still proud to be a Baylor signee.

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Nick Bromberg is the assistant editor of Dr. Saturday on Yahoo Sports. Have a tip? Email him at nickbromberg@yahoo.com or follow him on Twitter!