Washington State QB Peyton Bender transferring to JUCO

About a month ago, it was reported that Washington State quarterback Peyton Bender was ruled academically ineligible and he would not be able to play going into the 2016 season.

Now, he will be looking to start over and boost his grades by playing at the junior college level.

It was reported by Adam Gore of letsgoicc.com that Bender would be making the move to Itawamba Community College in Fulton, Mississippi for the 2016 season. He will spend the next year there trying to get back to academic eligibility and play at the FBS level once again.

Bender’s father, Mike Bender, spoke with The Spokesman-Review and it was said that he had missed too many “unexcused absences” in one class, which caused him to fail. He said that his son has to grow up if he wants another chance in college football.

“I said you can’t be a frat boy and a division one football player,” Mike Bender said. “If you’re going to choose to go down the path of a Division I athlete you’re held to a different standard, that’s the way life goes.”

He later went on to confirm that his son didn’t flunk out of school and that he could have stayed with the team. He just wouldn’t have been able to play this year while he tries to boost his grades.

“It was the result of all of his own stuff. He could have stayed. Leach wanted him to stay, but he would have been ineligible. He could have practiced and dressed with the team. He didn’t fail out of school.”

During his redshirt freshman season, Peyton Bender threw for 498 yards and three touchdowns with four interceptions.

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