Louisville wide receiver Damian Copeland, who missed most of the 2011 season with an injury, has been granted a sixth year of eligibility by the NCAA, he announced via Twitter on Sunday. However, there is a chance that Copeland could forego that sixth year and head to the NFL instead.
Cardinals head coach Charlie Strong confirmed the news at his weekly press conference.
“Just because he had an injury early in his career he was granted another year of eligibility, so he’s got to decide if he’d like to come back or not,” Strong said. “I haven’t spoken about that. … He’s got to sit down with his family, and they’ll make that decision.”
Copealand appeared in just one game in 2011 due to a knee injury before coming back in 2012 to lead the Cardinals in catches with 50. He again leads the Cardinals with 49 catches for 655 yards and four touchdowns so far this year.
With a healthy year under his belt, the smart money is on Copeland leaving for the NFL along with Cardinals quarterback Teddy Bridgewater.