Baylor officials have granted a release to incoming freshman defensive end Brandon Bowen, a school official told ESPN on Friday.
Bowen is the 11th signee from the Bears' nationally ranked recruiting class to leave the school since former coach Art Briles was fired in May.
A three-star recruit from Byron Nelson High School in Trophy Club, Texas, Bowen asked Baylor officials to release him from his national letter of intent earlier this week. Baylor athletics department spokesman Heath Nielsen confirmed Friday morning to the Waco Tribune that the school had granted Bowen's request, which allows him to transfer to another school without sitting out a year under NCAA transfer rules.
The Bears have lost half of the 22 players from their 2016 recruiting class, which was ranked No. 17 nationally by ESPN Recruiting after February's national signing day.
Last week, Baylor announced that it had released five players from their national letters of intent: cornerback Parrish Cobb of Waco, Texas; athlete Donovan Duvernay of Sachse, Texas; guard Patrick Hudson of Silsbee, Texas; running back Kameron Martin of Port Arthur, Texas; and offensive tackle J.P. Urquidez of Copperas Cove, Texas.
Hudson, ranked the No. 1 guard in the country, committed to Texas on Wednesday. He is the fourth former Baylor signee to choose the Longhorns. Duvernay and his brother Devin, the No. 3 wide receiver in the country, also plan to enroll at Texas, along with Urquidez, the No. 17 offensive tackle prospect.
Devin Duvernay chose the Longhorns after he learned his national letter of intent with the Bears was invalid because the school hadn't properly submitted it to the Big 12 in February.
Martin, who is ranked as the No. 17 running back in the country, signed a financial aid agreement with Auburn, and Cobb is considering Oklahoma and other schools.
Wide receiver Tren'davian Dickson of Navasota, Texas, who enrolled at Baylor in January, announced last month that he is transferring to Houston. He will have to sit out the 2016 season under NCAA transfer rules.
In addition, junior college transfers B.J. Autry and Jeremy Faulk, who were expected to compete for starting jobs at Baylor this coming season, left the school last month. ESPN's Outside the Lines reported that Faulk was asked to leave the school after Baylor officials questioned him about an incident he was involved in at Florida Atlantic and a sexual assault that might have occurred in April on the Baylor campus. Faulk denied the sexual assault allegations, and criminal charges weren't filed in either case.
Another juco transfer, defensive end DeQuinton Osborne, was granted his release and plans to enroll at Oklahoma State.
Baylor has been at the center of nationwide attention over the school's handling of sexual assault allegations and investigations, including several that have involved athletes.
In recent weeks, Baylor has dealt with the fallout from that negative attention, including the demotion and resignation of former university president and chancellor Kenneth Starr, the dismissal of Briles, the suspension and then the resignation of athletic director Ian McCaw, and the firings of multiple athletic department employees. At least three federal Title IX lawsuits have been filed against the school by eight women, and a complaint about school officials' handling of sexual assault cases has been made to the U.S. Department of Education.