It was a selection he agonized over for weeks, but once he boiled it down to a "business decision", Dwyer DE Malik Brown knew what he had to do.

The 6-3, 251 lb. defensive end de-committed from Syracuse and sent his LOI to Tennessee on Wednesday afternoon, citing a "void" contract he had agreed to with former SU head coach Doug Marrone.

Brown chose UT after new head coach Butch Jones and the Volunteers made a massive push in the past three weeks, lured by the improved Tennessee facilities and the past prestige of the now-struggling football program.  He appeared to still be affected by the departure of Marrone, who left Syracuse for the Buffalo Bills head coaching job. Brown claims Orange coaches weren't up front with him when rumors of Marrone's move to the NFL began to surface.

Brown also had USF as a school consideration, but the Bulls couldn't stand up to the allure of Tennessee or Syracuse.