The drawn-out drama that’s been Duron Carter‘s attempt to gain eligibility to play for Alabama appears to have come to an end, at least for this season.
Head coach Nick Saban announced Wednesday evening that the JUCO transfer will take a redshirt this season and will not play for the Tide in 2011. Carter will apparently attempt to become academically eligible this year, with the hope being he’ll be available for spring practice and 2012 and beyond.
Carter, the son of Ohio State legend Cris Carter, has been sidelined as the school awaited transcript information it needed from his former junior college. It doesn’t appear that information will be forthcoming; therefore, the wide receiver will not play this season.
“There’s one piece of information we did not receive and have not ever received, and may not ever receive,” Saban said. “So as of right now he has to be here a year in residence to be eligible. So, he’ll still have two years to play after that, but as of right now it doesn’t look like he will be eligible for this season.”
It was reported back in late August that he had enrolled at the school and began practicing with the team shortly thereafter. The transcript issues, however, kept him off the playing field as the Tide has jumped out to a 3-0 start and a No. 2 Associated Press ranking.
Carter announced in April that he would be transferring to the Tide, and officially signed with the school in July. He began his career at Ohio State before running into academic issues that forced him to transfer to the JUCO ranks.