Football

Talented freshman cut loose

Heralded recruit A.J. Dugat’s brief tenure with the Cougars ended Wednesday evening when he and fellow teammate Ari Tatum were dismissed from the team by head football coach Kevin Sumlin for an undisclosed violation of team policy.

He was heavily recruited coming out of Dayton High School and strongly considered committing to TCU before officially agreeing to play for the Cougars in February 2009.

The talented wide receiver and kick returner accumulated numerous accolades in high school, including one first-team all-state selection in division 4A. He ended his senior season ranked as scout.com’s No. 17 wide receiver recruit of the 2009 class.

He led the Cougars with 11 punt returns and averaged 12 yards per catch on 14 receptions, while seeing limited snaps at wide receiver.

Tatum was ranked as a two-star recruit by rivals.com and redshirted his freshman year before making his collegiate debut against Northwestern State on Sept. 9, 2009.

Further details on the cause of their dismissal were unavailable as of press time.

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