Over the past couple of weeks, Syracuse Orange starting quarterback Kyle McCord's name has come up in a discussion about him gaining a fifth-year of eligibility from the NCAA.
Some have pointed to Orange Head Coach Fran Brown's words about Kyle playing until the NCAA says he can't play anymore.
To insinuate that Brown meant that McCord would get another year is like seeing a drop of water on the ground and thinking that means an ocean is nearby.
I was in that press conference where Brown said McCord is a football player and there is a football game to be played and that he would play until the NCAA says he can't. That response came from a question asked about if McCord was going to be playing in the DIRECTV Holiday Bowl. It was not in response to an eligibility question.
But, since eligibility has been brought up, let's take a look at the facts...
McCord was not enrolled in school during the 2020-21 season, which is the COVID season. Any student-athlete on a roster at a college or university in America during the 2020-21 season, in most cases, was granted that year back. So essentially, the 2020-21 season did not count against your four years of eligibility, giving each student-athlete that was enrolled in school during the 2020-21 season the option of playing a fifth year.
He does not have that option since he began enrollment in the 2021-22 season.
McCord never had a redshirt season.
NCAA rules state that if a college football student-athlete plays four games or less in a season, then they can be awarded a redshirt for that season, meaning that season does not count against their four years of eligibility. This can only happen once, outside of special cases like a medical redshirt.
McCord played in five or more games in all four years of his eligibility, which means, by NCAA rules, he has exhausted all of his eligibility to play college football.
The season in question is his true freshman season where he played in five games, but he only played in one quarter in the fifth game for the Ohio State Buckeyes.
A game is a game as far as what I have understood over the years. McCord was not injured in that fifth game of his true freshman season. He came in and he played. It was his fifth game, which means that he could not be redshirted for that season.
What some have made a story out of is a hope that the NCAA can award a special exception to McCord, essentially forgiving that fifth game because it was limited time on the field.
The NCAA does not have to provide this special treatment to McCord and anyone claiming he can have a fifth year outside of McCord gaining a unique exception is creating a story about something that simply does not exist unless the NCAA decides to make it exist.
Anyone can apply for an exception.
The question can be asked.
But the validity of the story and the argument also has to be there.
McCord returning to Syracuse for another season would be incredible for the Heisman Trophy Top 10 finalist.
In a conversation with Brian Higgins of CuseSportsTalk.com, McCord was asked about a waiver to play another season and said, "I can't confirm or deny. But we'll see. We'll see how it all shakes out."
However, unless the NCAA wants to treat McCord differently than other college football student-athletes that played out their eligibility, then this is just a drop of water, with no ocean in sight.
We will just have to see, in the words of McCord.
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