Washington grants 5-star Michael Porter Jr. release from NLI
The nation's No. 1 recruit is now back open for business, as Washington has officially granted Michael Porter Jr. his release from his National Letter of Intent (NLI), a spokesperson told Christian Caple of the Tacoma News.
Porter, whose father Michael Porter Sr. was a former assistant at Washington, signed his NLI on Sept. 15, 2016, after committing to the hometown Huskies in July 2016.
The Seattle native is the second Washington player to have his request to be released from his NLI granted following the firing of head coach Lorenzo Romar, as four-star guard Blake Harris is also free to be contacted by other schools now.
Washington hired longtime Syracuse assistant Mike Hopkins as its new head coach.
Porter, who stands 6-foot-10, 212 pounds, also had offers from Indiana, Missouri, Oklahoma, and Virginia, before committing to Washington.
The elder Porter was formally an assistant coach at Missouri for the women's program, leading to reports that the father and son could be a package deal, according to Benjamin Hochman of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch.
As well, Jontay Porter, the younger brother of Michael Jr. and 2018 four-star center, decomitted from Washington following the firing of Romar.