That’s the theory of ESPN blogger Chris Low:

The fact that this is an issue now, two weeks into preseason camp, suggests that another school likely provided the NCAA with some information warranting a trip to Knoxville. It was pretty obvious in reading between the lines of Tennessee coach Lane Kiffin’s comments on Tuesday that he feels Brown is being singled out.

Everyone saw this investigation coming a long time ago. If you buy into the “ratted out” theory, the other teams rumored to be in the mix for Brown earlier this year included LSU, Clemson, Oregon, Kansas State and Missouri. (Vols Extra)