As far as options go, it doesn’t appear Venric Mark has very many.
In the middle of last week, it was announced that Mark had abruptly and surprisingly decided to withdraw from classes and transfer from Northwestern for “personal reasons”. That decision came a handful of days after it was announced the running back had been suspended for the first two games of the 2014 season for an unspecified violation of team rules.
According to Jeremy Fowler of CBSSports.com, one tack Mark may take is to become a walk-on at Texas Tech. The issues, though, that Mark is running into are twofold: one, he has yet to graduate -- one class short of his degree -- so he would have to appeal for a hardship waiver that would grant him immediate eligibility.
Fowler writes that “because Mark’s mother lives in Lubbock, [it] could facilitate a waiver.” That’s far from a guarantee, however.
And the second issue Mark is running into is teams are up against the limit scholarship-wise. Additionally, Fowler notes, “Texas also said no because Charlie Strong is cleaning house and isn’t taking on new players at the moment.”
If the Texas native had graduated, “he’d likely be attending Houston in the fall,” Fowler stated.
The back has also spoken to Div. II programs West Texas A&M and Northwest Missouri State. He could play at any level other than the FBS and be eligible immediately without a waiver.
Mark, a redshirt senior, missed all but three games in 2013 due to injury and received a medical hardship waiver for the 2014 season. This will be his final season of eligibility.
In 2012, he led the Wildcats in rushing with 1,366 yards and 12 touchdowns.