When it rains it pours, they say, and it was stormin’ in Norman personnel-wise on Monday.
First reported by Tulsa World, it was subsequently confirmed by additional media outlets that wide receiver Courtney Gardner will be ineligible to play for Oklahoma in 2012. In a text, the JUCO All-American wide receiver told ESPN.com that he “passed all his summer classwork but didn’t complete his last English class on time.”
Thanks to the attrition at the position this offseason -- three projected contributors were indefinitely suspended earlier this year and their status for the 2012 season is very much up in the air -- Gardner, who was also arrested for obstruction back in March, was expected to come in and contribute immediately to the Sooners’ passing game.
LaColtan Bester, another JUCO receiver transfer, has graduated and will be eligible in 2012, which helps somewhat mitigate the loss of Gardner.
In addition to Gardner, another JUCO transfer, offensive lineman Will Latu, is also academically ineligible. And, unfortunately, Latu won’t be the only lineman unavailable to Bob Stoops and his coaching staff this season -- or any other season, for that matter.
Thanks to an injury that first occurred last season in the practice run-up to the Sooners’ bowl appearance, Dylan Dismuke has seen his playing career come to an end. Dismuke, rated as a four-star member of OU’s 2011 recruiting class, will be placed on medical hardship due to the knee injury he suffered during non-contact drills.
But wait, there’s more...
The father of Florida running back Greg Bryant confirmed to Rivals.com that his son has decommitted from OU, deciding instead to play for an SEC school. Auburn and South Carolina are the new favorites to land the touted back, the father said.
Bryant, who had been the Sooners’ highest-rated commit in the Class of 2013, is rated by Rivals as the No. 4 RB in the country and the No. 28 player at any position.