It’s not fair to the player to speculate.
That said, if it is academic, then potentially one of the explanations for him being on the roster is that he failed to successfully pass 9 credit hours last Fall AND failed to complete an aggregate of 27 hours in the Fall, Spring and Summer. He could have either failed one or more courses last Fall or only enrolled in the minimum of 6 hours, then either failed to enroll in the minimum 27 or unexpectedly failed a course and couldn’t complete the needed 27here are waivers and re-dos to get to the 27.
IF and it’s a big if, he didn’t hit the Fall 9 or 27 for the year, the rules require him to sit out 4 games, if he is otherwise eligible and in good standing with the university.
There are other potential explanations, but this one is common and becoming more common at other schools. OSU had a punter of all people not make the 9 a few years ago.
That’s why I said we will know it was academic if he’s on the depth chart for Cincy after practicing all summer. We aren’t in Vegas and I’m not a betting man, but I’d bet he thought he was good to go with summer work and ended up struggling a bit. It happens. TU athletes graduate from TU at higher rates than the student body at large in nearly every major they elect. But these days, with all they balance and the distractions, even the best students and those with the very best intentions and effort sometimes fail. I just hope he sticks with it. We’ve had several running backs ruled ineligible and leave the team who eventually graduated. We don’t give up if they don’t give up. And the program will be better off either way.