GAINESVILLE, Fla. -- Four-star defensive tackle Dante Phillips (Venice, Fla./Venice) said Monday he has been denied admission by the University of Florida. Phillips was set to begin classes at Florida on Monday but said he received a phone call from Florida head coach Will Muschamp, informing him of the school's decision.
A source close to the program said two other key recruits -- four-star defensive ends Jonathan Bullard (Shelby, N.C./Crest) and Dante Fowler Jr. (St. Petersburg, Fla./Lakewood) -- have not yet been cleared by the NCAA, but both are expected to be admitted very soon.
Phillips was rated the No. 110 prospect in the nation in the ESPN 150 for 2012. Bullard was the No. 4 defensive end in the nation and the No. 37 overall prospect in the ESPN 150, while Fowler was ranked No. 71 in the ESPN 150.
"Everything on my NCAA Clearinghouse website has been cleared," Phillips said on Monday. "I'm cleared. I should be able to go to any school in the country. I just know that Muschamp told me that admissions wouldn't admit me. I'm not sure how. I'm not sure why."
Phillips originally committed to Urban Meyer's Gators and became the second commitment of Florida's 2012 class on Oct. 25, 2010. As for what he will do now, Phillips said he has contacted several coaches, but most schools have already filled their rosters.
"As soon as they called me I wrote about seven coaches on Facebook, but most of them haven't written me back yet," Phillips said. "Some of them have. Miami is one of the schools that is showing a lot of interest right now. They are fighting to get me in in August, but I'm not sure. I haven't made a commitment to anyone right now. I'm still open, but it's going to be hard because most of the big schools have already taken a full class.
"Now I'm just struggling trying to find a spot on somebody's roster. I worked my butt off trying to get these offers, but now I can't even pick and chose where I want to go because it's so late in the process."
