Mississippi State's Geor'Quarius Spivey says he was told he could transfer and be eligible. NCAA says no

STARKVILLE — Mississippi State football tight end Geor'Quarius Spivey, who transferred this offseason from TCU, says he has been informed by a coach that the NCAA ruled he is not eligible to play this season, he announced via social media on Thursday.

Spivey claims he was told during his transfer process that he would be eligible to play as a grad transfer at any school because he had graduated from TCU in December. His decision to transfer was delayed due to TCU playing in the national title game on Jan. 9 and classes starting on Jan. 13, he wrote.

"So I was rushed into classes by the academic advisor who does not work at TCU anymore for some odd reason," Spivey wrote. "During that time, he said I just had to be in classes in case I was to not transfer and stay at TCU. I still decided I was transferring no matter what, so he told me I could transfer and leave to be eligible anywhere else.

"My reason for leaving TCU was to come to Mississippi State for my last year to play with guys I already had a bond with and thrive at the new tight end position. I want to know why I'm being punished for transferring when I took every step that I was told by a higher authority at each university? Can anyone point me in the right direction so I can help and play this season?"

Spivey is a native of Monroe, Louisiana, who started his collegiate career in 2018 at MSU. He transferred to TCU ahead of his junior season in 2021 as Mississippi State was running Mike Leach's Air Raid offense, which didn't use tight ends.

He returned to MSU this offseason as Kevin Barbay took over at offensive coordinator with a more balanced attack. Spivey was listed as a starter alongside Georgia transfer Ryland Goede on MSU's depth chart.

Mississippi State opens its season on Saturday (3 p.m., SEC Network) against Southeastern Louisiana at Davis Wade Stadium.

Stefan Krajisnik is the Mississippi State beat writer for the Clarion Ledger. Contact him at skrajisnik@gannett.com or follow him on the X platform, formerly known as Twitter, @skrajisnik3.

This article originally appeared on Mississippi Clarion Ledger: Mississippi State football: Geor'Quarius Spivey says he's ineligible