Julian Phillips, ESPN's No. 11 college basketball prospect, released from commitment to attend LSU

Five-star senior Julian Phillips has been released from his letter of intent to attend LSU after men's basketball coach Will Wade was fired last weekend, Phillips announced Friday on social media.

«Due to the recent changes within the staff, I have been granted my release from the university and will be re-opening my recruitment,» Phillips said in a post on Twitter. «I look forward to the journey of finding a new home.»

Wade, the head coach of the Tigers since 2017, was fired Saturday after LSU received a notice of allegations from the NCAA accusing the program of five Level I violations.

Phillips, a South Carolina native who plays at Link Year Prep in Missouri, is ranked No. 11 in the ESPN 100 for 2022. The 6-foot-7 small forward averaged 19.6 points for Upward Stars on the Adidas Gauntlet circuit last summer.

He originally chose LSU over USC, Florida State and Tennessee in October.

Phillips is the second LSU signee to reopen his recruitment, following Devin Ree's decision earlier in the week. Top-40 big man Yohan Traore is the lone remaining signee for the Tigers, but speculation has grown he could decommit in the coming days.

Wade signed six five-star prospects during his time in Baton Rouge, with Phillips following Nazreon Reid, Emmitt Williams, Trendon Watford, Cam Thomas and Efton Reid.