This just in from ESPN:

USC head football coach Lane Kiffin has said he will release Seantrel Henderson from his National Letter of Intent.

"We are releasing Seantrel Henderson out of his national letter of intent with zero penalties and no restrictions. Seantrel has been great through the whole process and we wish him the best of luck with his decision," Kiffin said, according to a report filed around 3:15 p.m. today by ESPN's Joe Schad.

Henderson, a 6-8, 337-pound offensive tackle from Cretin-Derham Hall, was listed as the nation's top recruit by many top college evaluators. Speculation about Henderson's loyalty to the Trojans began to surface when the severe NCAA sactions were handed down, and it heightened when he failed to show up for summer classes last week.

Henderson is back on the market, and you can bet it will get quite heated. Miami (Fla.) and Ohio State were believed to be top candidates to land Henderson this winter. The Gophers were among the five finalists, too, when Henderson made his choice on a nationally-televised show on signing day in February.

We're working to get some sort of comment from the Henderson camp.

UPDATE: USC has released a statement, making today's news official.