Blake Barnett just might have found a game-changing loophole

[Branno]

http://247sports.com/Article/Alabama-QB-Blake-Barnett-has-more-options-than-you-think-as-a-tr-47861580

 

 

But Barnett has a plan — and it looks a lot like something we’ve seen before in college basketball.

According to bylaw 14.5.6 in the NCAA transfer guide, Barnett as a 4-2-4 transfer (four-year institution, to a junior college, and back to a four-year institution), can be eligible one calendar year from the date of his transfer from Alabama so long as he graduates with a GPA above 2.5 over an average of 12 hours per term at the certifying institution of Barnett’s choosing.

That’s a situation that happens frequently pre- and post-semester. The timing of Barnett’s transfer is what makes him a possible trailblazer: He’d be eligible to play the conference schedule at his next destination.

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If Barnett's best case scenario unfolds, it could be a game-changer in college football — particularly at the quarterback position. We regularly see college coaches delay naming a starting quarterback in open competitions until the first game of the season. Sometimes the competition extends well into the season. That can be a tool used to limit the flexibility and motivation for a quarterback to transfer out.

Barnett is presenting a scenario that gives quarterbacks a counter, the opportunity to transfer to a different school and preserve eligibility even after the season has kicked off.

This is gonna be interesting to see play out.