Cecil Cherry was only days into training camp in his freshman season with the Texas Longhorns when he decided to transfer.

Winston Cherry, Cecil's father, confirmed his son's decision to ESPN.com Tuesday night, stating it was a matter of "need" on Texas' part. Cherry is a three-star inside linebacker, but was part of the "Florida Five," a group of recruits head coach Charlie Strong brought in over the offseason.

"It's just not the right fit for him," Winston Cherry said. "Once he gets his [release] papers, we'll find him a home with someone who needs him. He needs to be somewhere where he's needed real bad."

Orangebloods.com learned of Cecil Cherry's decision Tuesday morning and learned at the time the school was trying to talk him out of it. Hours later, the website reported Cherry told them he was still transferring from Texas.

He does not appear to have a new school in mind, and will reportedly return home to Lakeland, Fla. "as soon as possible." According to ESPN, Cherry had offers from schools spanning the Power Five, including Ohio State, Alabama, Clemson, and more. But he also had offers from hometown schools Florida and Florida State.

Texas opened its preseason camp on Friday with Davante Davis, a defensive back, the only remaining member of the Florida Five, ESPN reported. Like Cherry, defensive back Tim Irvin transferred, while one recruit failed to qualify for enrollment and another has yet to be cleared for enrollment.

Strong earned a reputation for his "my way or the highway" approach to his roster last season, dismissing several players for various disciplinary reasons. It is not clear if that same approach contributed to the recent roster moves.

"We always want guys to stay here, but it's also this: Anything you get in this program, you're going to earn," Strong told ESPN.com. "We have a lot of guys in this program, and let's focus on our guys that we have here right now."