Tito Horford, the prize 7-foot basketball recruit...

Tito Horford, the prize 7-foot basketball recruit from the Dominican Republic, is a “free agent” and no longer bound to the University of Houston by a national letter of intent, the Dallas Morning News has learned.

UCLA, Oklahoma and Kentucky are believed to be the front-runners for Horford’s services.

David Price, a member of the Collegiate Commissioners Assn., which administers the letter of intent program for the NCAA, said Horford “could go to another school with no penalty. It would be as if he never signed a letter.

“He would not be a transfer student. He would be just like any other freshman. He could enroll, become eligible right away, and have four years to play.”