South Carolina football player Jalen Brooks was denied eligibility for the 2020 season.
Jalen Brooks joined the South Carolina football program in August, after transferring from Tarleton State University, Texas. Yesterday, he received a message from the NCAA that his resignation for immediate eligibility was denied, meaning that he could be forced to stay out all year. Will Muschamp is appealing the decision.
The rejection is a joke on many levels and further solidifies the notion that the NCAA is constantly looking at the “big boys” while ruling unfairly for programs that are not traditional powers, without rhyme or reason.
The biggest blow to Gamecocks is that Brooks was a starter designed on a wide receiver rotation already fine after an excellent fall camp. He would have been the second most experienced player in the position behind senior Shi Smith, having played in 24 games and managed 52 passes for 1,048 yards and 10 goals.
With Brooks out, South Carolina is forced to rely on three real freshmen, two ex-defenders and an untested sophomore to complete their opening shot. This comes as the team adapts to a new offensive scheme under coordinator Mike Bobo.
Let’s see why the NCAA decision is a joke and why Brooks should be reinstated immediately after his appeal.
Brooks is coming to South Carolina’s football program at a lower level of competition.
Brooks played his first two seasons of competition at Wingate University, where he became an artist for all conferences. In the second year, he towed 35 receptions for a total of 751 yards, good for 21.5 yards per catch. He has also encountered the endzone on six occasions. Wingate competes in the South Atlantic Conference at the level of NCAA Division II.
After two seasons, Brooks made the decision to move to Tarleton State, another Division II program that was in the process of jumping to Division I, agreeing to join WAC last year. Although the agreement between the school and the conference was made in December, the university was not eligible to participate at the Division I level until June 2020. Brooks was only in Tarleton state in the spring semester, before the school transition to the WAC.
Normally, players who move from Division II competition to Division I level are immediately eligible. Unfortunately for Brooks, the transfer to South Carolina was his second, which normally requires the student-athlete to be out for a season. But he should not be penalized for moving to a higher level of play, even if this is his second transfer, due in part to the next point on this list.
Brooks never played for Tarleton State before joining the South Carolina football team.
It may have been his second school, but Jalen Brooks never adapted to Tarleton State. He stayed there for only a semester. Why does three months on campus affect your eligibility? He probably had very little participation in football, especially with COVID ending its spring and summer activities.
He is essentially coming from Wingate to South Carolina, at least in terms of field production. If his brief stop at Tarleton State had not occurred, he would have qualified to play now, no questions asked. It does not seem fair to take away its 2020 season due to its short spring period with the Texans, especially when we look at the uncertainty of next year.
South Carolina football players will not have a playing season in 2020.
As concerns about the Coronavirus surrounding the college football scene began to grow in the off-season, the NCAA made a general decision about the eligibility of all student-athletes. The federation said the 2020 season will not feature any player, holder or reserve, freshman or senior.
Football players will not be subject to the restrictions of the four game redshirt rule. All team members will receive an extra season of eligibility, no matter what. In a season of that season that is essentially a “toast”, what is the point of denying any waiver? Whether you miss out or play, the year counts the same for your eligibility. It makes no sense to force Brooks to sit down, especially when paired with the previous two points of discussion.
South Carolina football should be treated in the same way as Georgia, Tennessee.
The NCAA’s hypocrisy and inconsistency with these exemptions have been the most irritating parts of the transfer process. On a fairly consistent basis, the powers of college football seem to take precedence, while non-traditional programs take center stage.
See how quickly Justin Fields was eligible for the Ohio State national title contender last year. Even during the 2020 off-season, Gamecocks watched some SEC East enemies reap the benefits of the name on their shirt in Georgia and Tennessee.
At the end of the road in Athens, quarterback JT Daniels received immediate qualification after the transfer from Southern California. Georgia is about to compete for the SEC title and the college football playoff. It would have been a difficult task if Daniels had not been considered eligible, since the only options for the Bulldogs in the center are two freshmen.
Daniels is a native of the state of California, so the move was not to get closer to home. There doesn’t seem to be anything in particular that should push Daniels’ priority over Brooks, who is moving from Texas to South Carolina to be closer to his North Carolina home.
Tennessee also saw an approved transfer, from an opponent of the SEC’s eastern division. Cade Mays moved from Georgia to Tennessee in January, after spending two seasons with the Bulldogs. Mays is from Knoxville, so the move has brought him closer to home, but there seems to be no other mitigating circumstance (family difficulties, interrupted sports, etc.) that would have the NCAA approve of his resignation, but deny Brooks’.
Brooks hopes that his appeal will be granted by the NCAA, but even if approved, the pass receiver is likely to miss the season opener. Gamecocks will have to do their due in their absence, however long it may be.