NCAA denies eligibility waiver for Texas Tech football transfer
An NCAA panel recently denied Texas Tech's waiver request for immediate eligibility on behalf of a Red Raiders defensive back who transferred into the Texas Tech football program this summer from Baylor.
Tech athletics spokesman Matt Dowdy said A.J. McCarty will have to sit out this season. He said the ruling was issued some time ago, not in the past few days. Tech included the development in its press notes for the Red Raiders' game this week at Baylor.
McCarty played in 29 games for the Bears the past three seasons, starting two last year and returning an interception for a touchdown off Tech quarterback Tyler Shough. The 6-foot, 190-pound junior from Brownwood had his name entered into the NCAA transfer portal on June 12.
To be eligible to play this season at a new school, undergraduates had to have their names in the portal during the April 15-30 window.
Tech coach Joey McGuire has not made a stir about McCarty's status. McGuire said in the summer that, although he'd like to have McCarty in 2023, his staff was aware of the obstacle and was "thinking kind of long-term because he's got a couple of years to play."
Though McCarty played three games in 2020, Dowdy said that season does not count against McCarty's eligibility because of that year's Covid disruptions. Citing information from the Tech athletics compliance department, he said 2023 will be McCarty's redshirt year and he will have eligibility left for 2024 and 2025.
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This article originally appeared on Lubbock Avalanche-Journal: Texas Tech football: NCAA denies eligibility waiver for transfer
