Jaleel Awini may have lost his good standing at a service academy, but he’s apparently found it at a Pac-12 university.
While Colorado has yet to confirm it, Awini revealed to BuffStampede.com that he plans to transfer to the Buffaloes and continue his playing career in his home state. After sitting out the 2014 season to satisfy NCAA transfer rules, Awini will be eligible to play in 2015 and will have two years of eligibility remaining.
Awini, who played quarterback at Air Force but could move to wide receiver at Colorado, has already informed the CU coaching staff of his decision to transfer into the Buffs football program.
Awini played his high school football in Aurora and was actually offered a CU scholarship by Dan Hawkins; after his dismissal, Hawkins’ successor, Jon Embree, did not follow through on the offer and Awini opted for the service academy.
As a sophomore in 2013, Awini started three of the first four games of the season but was indefinitely suspended from the team shortly thereafter. At the time of his suspension -- or, as the academy put it, “no longer a cadet in good standing” -- Awini was on academic probation. It’s unknown if the suspension was related to academics or another issue.
“I am very thankful for my time at Air Force and thankful for just getting the opportunity to be there but the military lifestyle is not for everybody,” Awini told the Rivals.com website. “I learned a lot from my time at Air Force but football is just a little more important to me than the military lifestyle.”