With Oklahoma State’s support, transfer J.D. King granted immediate eligibility at Georgia Southern

Here’s one that’s seemingly a rarity, especially when viewed through the prism of a recent post: a Power Five transfer has been granted immediate eligibility at a Group of Five school.

In mid-November, J.D. King announced that he had decided to transfer from Oklahoma State and continue his collegiate playing career elsewhere; that elsewhere ultimately ended up being Georgia Southern. Monday night, that Sun Belt Conference program confirmed that the running back is eligible to play for the Eagles in 2019.

King will have two years of eligibility, plus a redshirt, he can use at his new home.

“I am very humble and grateful for the opportunity to be a part of the Georgia Southern football family,” King said in a statement sent out by the football program. “I would first like to thank God for his given talents as well as the NCAA for granting me this eligibility. I would also like to thank Georgia Southern’s compliance office, Coach Lunsford, Coach Foster for his dedication, my teammates, my mother, my father and anyone who has contributed to helping with this matter. Thank you!”

Full story to come, but for now …@18_jdk #GATA pic.twitter.com/IVE2DKNswv

— Georgia Southern Football (@GSAthletics_FB) August 19, 2019

One of the best parts of the whole situation? King was supported by his former school during the process, which included an initial denial of the waiver by the NCAA. From GSU’s release:

King needed to meet three different criteria in order to be eligible for 2019. His initial request was denied after meeting only two of the three criteria and Georgia Southern filed an appeal on July 22. Oklahoma State’s Athletic Department provided a letter on King’s behalf supporting his decision to leave the program which was included in the original waiver application.

(CC: Jim Harbaugh)

The move to the SBC school will serve as a homecoming of sorts as King was a three-star signee coming out of high school in Georgia two years ago.

King ran for 469 yards and four touchdowns on 99 carries as a true freshman in 2017, making him the Cowboys’ second-leading rusher. This past season, King’s production dropped to 153 yards and no touchdowns on 43 carries in 10 games.