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The Shea Patterson eligibility saga has finally come to an end. On Friday afternoon, after the NCAA Division I Council recently approved an amendment to transfer waiver guidelines, the Michigan football program announced that the Ole Miss transfer quarterback is now immediately eligible and has the opportunity to suit up for the Wolverines during the 2018 college football season.
Patterson recorded 2,259 yards, 17 touchdowns, and nine interceptions during his sophomore season before suffering a season-ending knee injury. In the seven games he played, the signal-caller threw more touchdowns than Michigan quarterbacks did in 2017 (9).
Michigan announced the news in a joint statement with Ole Miss.
The statement on Michigan’s official website read:
The NCAA Division I Council recently approved an amendment to transfer waiver guidelines for student-athletes seeking immediate eligibility following a transfer. This amendment was effective April 18, for transferring student-athletes who are seeking immediate eligibility for the 2018-19 academic year.
Following notification of this change, the University of Mississippi promptly reached out to the University of Michigan to discuss how these new standards could impact the University of Mississippi’s support of a transfer student-athlete’s desire to compete immediately at the University of Michigan. The University of Mississippi and the University of Michigan have worked together over the last several days in conjunction with the NCAA national office staff, and with a focus on the best interest of the student-athlete, to put forward a new waiver application. That new application was submitted this week by the University of Michigan and supported by both schools. The University of Michigan has withdrawn its previous waiver application and all associated materials in favor of this new, cooperative approach based on facts which all parties agree to. The waiver has now been approved by the NCAA and thus football student-athlete Shea Patterson willl be eligible to compete in the 2018-19 academic year.
Both schools are ready to move forward and appreciate the assistance of the NCAA staff in bringing this matter to a resolution. While the process has been complex at times, the solution was simple — two flagship universities and the NCAA staff working together with a focus on student-athlete well-being.
That’s great news for the Wolverines, who want to finally reach the College Football Playoff under head coach Jim Harbaugh. Now that they finally have a serviceable quarterback, Michigan may finally be a major player on the national stage.
Michigan opens its 2018 campaign with an exciting matchup against the Notre Dame Fighting Irish on Sept. 1. Kickoff for the game is set for 7:30 p.m. ET on NBC.