This is what I found from the official National Letter of Intent Web site:

Is a National Letter of Intent binding if the coach of my sport leaves the institution?

Yes. The National Letter of Intent you signed with an institution is valid if the coach who recruited you leaves the institution with which you signed. When you sign a National Letter of Intent you sign with an institution and not with a coach or a specific team.

http://www.national-letter.org/faq/

Doesn't seem like they'd include something like this as a rule if they were going to allow clauses to easily get around it.

My thought when talking with a colleague of mine about what Dan Dakich had to do to be hired on permanently as IU head coach. And I thought that if he could do three things the job was automatically his. They were: 1) Win the Big Ten Tournament, 2)Advance to at least the Elite 8 in the NCAA Tournament, 3)Keep all of IU's recruits for next season because it shows he has some skills in regards to recruiting elite talent. Now mind you, I didn't say he could do 1 of 3, 2 of 3 may cut it but 3 of 3 makes the job his, in my opinion. If Ebanks leaves to go to Memphis or anywhere else, it's a major blow to Dakich's permanent future as Indiana's head basketball coach.

patrickdonohue.freedomblogging.com

I was an NCAA athlete, who signed an LOI, and I distinctly remember the heading included, “NON-NEGOTIABLE.” I have been wondering how IU and Ebanks were getiing around this. It may have changed since I signed my letter, but my playing days have not been long over. We may get him after all.

Even if it's not written into the LOI, IU would most likely let him out. It'd be a PR nightmare if they forced him to come if he didn't want to.

If he doesn't want to play here, its his loss. I'd love for him to come to IU because I think he has a Rudy Gay type of ability, but he has a constant knack for getting into trouble. That is not something that will magically disappear when he gets to college, if anything it will become a bigger problem. And it is not like his talent is so great that he would save our program. Good, yes, but he is not even top 5 in his class, a class that is worse than this years. He won't make or break IU. Without him it will take the new coach, if he is good at what he does, a year to get this team back to the tournament, but that is it. Maybe not even that, if said new coach can turn Eli Holman into something useful. So if he doesn't want to come play for IU, fine, don't let the door hit you on the way out Devin

I want these blue chip recruits, but to be honest I have been more excited about A Matt Roth, Tom Pritchard inside outside game since they signed. Ebanks is good, I don't want IU to become a ONE and DONE factory….Like Memphis….more importantly with NOTHING to show for it…like Memphis. If we lose Ebanks it would suck but that is part of the KS fallout…..

This will be bigger than losing Josh Smith if he decides to go elsewhere. Greenspan needs to do the right thing and fire himself so we can let Reynolds pick the new coach of IU and save the '08 class.

If in tact, next years team will be better than this year based on what I saw during the MSU game when DJ went out.

I hope he at least meets with the new coach before making a decision. Who knows? It might even be a better fit now. If not, we part ways and all move on. I think he'd be terrific at IU, though, and have an outstanding career here before he moves on to the NBA.

So without Ebanks were looking at a starting 5 of Armon, Jordan, Ellis, Thomas and Holman….with McGee, Pritchard, Taber and Roth on the bench….so how is losing him not going to hurt us? You have me confused. This is assuming that no one transfers from IU as well.
Rumors are also telling me that if Calipari was offered IU's job he would take it in a second. Then we would keep Ebanks and maybe Tyreke Evans, interesting….

…and we'd have a lot more beatdowns on Kirkwood.

I see a couple of things on here that I agree with…

1. If he doesn't want to play for INDIANA UNIVERSITY…oh well…see ya!
2. I fear the day that IU becomes a one n done or dos n adios kind of place.

I would not release him until he had a chance to know who IU's new coach will be and had talked to him.

That is why I think IU needs to move ASAP on hiring or getting a name coach lined up. There are lots of good up and coming coaches who would be keepers but if we want to keep any recruits we need a recognizable name.

I hope the University simply lets him go if he so chooses.

I hope Coach Dakich is calling him. I hope Coach McCallum is calling him. And, I hope he sticks it out with the confidence that IU is going to hire a coach who will give him the opportunity to thrive, because I believe that will happen. But, its important not to hold Ebanks accountable for the current coaching situation. He could have no idea when he signed the LOI that any of this would be happening.

Many of us were just clamoring about “doing things the right way” in support of an immediate dismissal of KS. For the University, I think its only right to let this kid consider the issue and make a decision he is comfortable with.

Good points. Thanks for the research.

Let him go if he wants to after he sees who our new coach is. He signed with Sampson and now he's gone. Forget what the letter says, he signed with a coach. Give me some solid 4 year players that stay and win. I'd love to have Ebanks, but won't miss him if he doesn't come. Any kid that would turn down a chance to play at IU, with the greatest fan support and athlete adoration, is nuts.

Can we chill out with the THUG comments they are so so uneccessary…seriously. Ebanks is no more a thug than EJ….

Rumors, rumors, rumors. Calipari played this crap the last time. He threw Indiana's name around to get a raise out of Memphis and he gave NC State a Dirty Sanchez in order to secure that extra money. Calipari is a slimeball. You think he wasn't on the phone with Ebanks and anyone else he thought he could swipe the day the allegations came out against Sampson? If so, then you've got a long way to go, my friend.

“I hope Coach Dakich is calling him. I hope Coach McCallum is calling him”

But, uh, not too much.

Thank you! Devin, we'd love to have you. You're a terrific talent, and you will do very well here. If you decide to go elsewhere, best of luck.

I got a way to keep him, get John Calipari.

SO he decided on us between Miami and Rutgers but now he is going to Memphis, apparently nobody told this thug in training that he cant wear a headband here or he wouldn’t have signed here in the first place (see ya!). AND guys, I know you all live up North but once again, I grew up in the Ville reading Forde and Bozich garbage and trust me, there is no way Bozich would have known this story without Forde knowing and saying it first on ESPN since hammering IU has become a pasttime for ESPN now (Fordes been at it for years so he fits right in) and Forde would have said this with joy all over sportscenter (after they showed Sampsons midnight madness speach for the 200the time this week). Both are idiot UK fans with sports writing jobs (and I mean hard core UK fans), but only Forde gets first hand info like that.

hurts in the short run, perhaps, but not in the long run. he is not a program savior. he probably is not even one and done. not all 5 star recruits leave after one year. only the best (or the stupid). he might be stupid, but he isn't the best. and i also don't think Calipari would leave Memphis, he has it too good down there. IU is obviously a good gig, but he has William Wesley (if you don't know who he is, go find out) telling great players like Dajuan Wagner and Derrick Rose to go to Memphis, and he probably wouldn't get that to come with him to IU. although maybe, what do I know

Seriously!

First, I am not sure if he's qualified yet which means Memphis would give him an academic scholarship. Second, I know Holloway has not qualified yet. If they have the right to opt out, tell them not to let the door-you know the rest. Sampson got into phone trouble recruiting marginal students– check the names. We don't need to continue begging for basketball players.

Has anyone heard anything about Roth, Holloway, or Pritchard? I realize that Ebanks is the 5-star recruit in the group, but what about the other 3? You don't think Weber would swoop in and try to steal Roth…do you????