The NCAA has once again flipped its eligibility coin, and this time it’s come up heads for a player who called tails.
After entering the transfer database in mid-July, Kedrick James completed his move from Alabama a couple of weeks later by landing at SMU. With the Mustangs’ regular-season opener fast approaching, it is now being confirmed that the NCAA has denied the tight end’s appeal for an immediate-eligibility waiver.
With this decision, James will have two years of eligibility he can use beginning with the 2020 season.
Alabama transfer Kedrick James, a TE, will sit out this season for SMU. The Waco native will not have a waiver to play immediately.
— Sam Blum (@SamBlum3) August 27, 2019
SMU is waiting on Calloway, Fitz, Jones and Shelmire -- as of this afternoon. They're all still eligible for waivers, though the NCAA hasn't ruled.
James was one of three Alabama football players suspended in late December for the postseason over what was described as unspecified NCAA violations.
A four-star member of the Crimson Tide’s 2017 recruiting class, James was rated as the No. 12 tight end in the country. The Texas native held offers from, among others, Auburn, Miami, Michigan, Oklahoma, TCU, Tennessee, Texas, Texas A&M and Texas Tech.
James, listed as the Tide’s third-string tight end at the time of his suspension, has played in 10 games the past two seasons, with five of those appearances coming this year and five coming in 2017. He has yet to catch a pass at the collegiate level.
Incidentally, three of the transfers mentioned by surname in the tweet and are awaiting waiver answers come from Power Five programs -- defensive back Chevin Calloway (Arkansas), defensive back Cam’ron Jones (Nebraska) and offensive lineman Thomas Shelmire (Boston College). They are part of the 16 transfers Sonny Dykes has added to the Mustangs this offseason.