Gamecocks holding out hope they’ll get good news from NCAA on talented transfer
South Carolina’s football staff is in the dark on this one.
The Gamecocks’ coaches thought they had a good case to the get Wingate transfer Jalen Brooks, who spent the spring at Tarlton State in Texas, eligible to help their young receiver group this season. An NCAA transfer waiver request was denied, so the staff will appeal.
With the regular season season already 10% over, the NCAA hasn’t been forward with any kind of timeline when the staff might know the final decision.
“They have not,” Muschamp said. “I know that we’re working through that right now, the appeal with the NCAA. But I don’t know the time on that.”
There’s no downside to playing Brooks even one game. The NCAA froze everyone’s eligibility during the COVID-19 affected 2020 season. Brooks will still have two years to play after this season regardless.
If he were available, he would give the team another tall, field-stretching option outside. He might not be a high-end game-breaker, but he’d allow a little more diversity in the offense.
Against Tennessee, the Gamecocks relied most heavily on Xavier Legette, Shi Smith and Dakereon Joyner, getting a few other snaps from Josh Vann and Rico Powers. The team also went with two tight ends in about one-fourth of the snaps and played a fullback around one-fifth of the plays.
Brooks grew from an under-recruited high school player into an explosive option on the Division II level, posting more than 700 yards and averaging more than 20 yards a catch.
Last year, the Gamecocks had to wait until the Thursday of Week 2 to find out that tight end Nick Muse would be eligible. He had a little sarcastic barb on that front Tuesday.
“If we get Jalen Brooks back, that’d be lovely,” Muse said. “But, NCAA, you do you.”
This story was originally published September 29, 2020 at 1:42 PM.
