Following his recruitment is clear he was a backup after we got burned with Bogle on the AA game. The staff brought him in and he wanted to commit on the spot, he told somebody on a interview he thought he would be a Cane, aka I want to commit, but the staff won't take me yet.
With Phillips, Hill, maybe Bogle plus the players already on the roster the staff probably felt like he was expandable and probably could get somebody better next cycle. I have no idea if he was being recruited as LB or DE, LB is a bigger need, but that's my overall view