Powe declared eligible at Ole Miss
By David Brandt
david.brandt@clarionledger.comOle Miss defensive lineman Jerrell Powe has been cleared by the Southeastern Conference to play football this season, ending an eligibility quest that lasted for more than three years.
Now 21 years old, Powe has been involved in a complicated struggle spanning two head coaches and countless twists and turns.But barring injury, Ole Miss should finally see the 6-foot-2, 340-pound defensive tackle in action on Aug. 30 against Memphis. Powe was not immediately available for comment.A university statement included the SEC’s reasoning for the decision:
“Under SEC legislation in place at the time of Mr. Powe’s initial enrollment at the University of Mississippi during the fall semester 2007, a partial qualifier may be deemed eligible after successfully completing an academic year in residence including fulfillment of NCAA progress toward degree requirements. The NCAA’s action of September 7, 2007 effectively made Mr. Powe a partial qualifier; therefore, based upon his academic record at the University of Mississippi he is deemed eligible under SEC Bylaws.”
Powe, who has been diagnosed with a learning disability, signed with the Rebels in 2005 following a standout career at Wayne County High School, but he did not meet the NCAA’s freshmen academic eligibility requirements.He tried again in 2006 to enroll at Ole Miss after attending Hargrave (Va.) Military Academy and taking correspondence courses, but the NCAA denied Powe eligibility because of questions regarding how much help he received while finishing the coursework needed for eligibility.Powe sued Ole Miss and the NCAA in the aftermath of the decision, but soon dropped the lawsuit, leaving school in an effort to figure out what to do next.He enrolled at Ole Miss in the fall of 2007, but was once again denied athletic eligibility by the NCAA because of more academic concerns.
In a strange twist, the NCAA ruled that Powe could still receive athletic financial aid, though he could not practice or play with the team.Powe attended classes this past year in Oxford, apparently satisfying his academic obligations in the eyes of the NCAA and SEC.“Jerrell has been a student at Ole Miss for the last year, and has met academic requirements as established by the NCAA and the University of Mississippi,” said Ole Miss athletic director Pete Boone in a prepared statement. “We are pleased that Jerrell will now become a student-athlete. It has been a long process and it is now time to move forward.”“We are excited that Jerrell is getting this opportunity and will be able to join the team for preseason practice,” Ole Miss coach Houston Nutt said in the statement.
Along with academic questions, Ole Miss also had to prove that Powe’s legal bills were handled properly and within NCAA guidelines governing extra benefits for student-athletes. Neither the school or Powe’s family friend Joe Barnett would immediately confirm how the bills were handled, but the SEC was apparently satisfied with the explanation.Now it’s time for the Rebels to see how much the highly touted defensive tackle can help on the field. He practiced three weeks with the team last August, briefly moving into the starting lineup before being ruled ineligible.Still, Powe hasn’t played in a real football game in nearly three seasons and coaches would like to see the massive lineman lose several pounds before the team’s first game.
If he’s ready to help, Powe’s addition could make the Rebel defensive line one of the best in the SEC. Ole Miss already has junior defensive lineman Greg Hardy, who led the conference with 10 sacks last season, and Peria Jerry, a senior defensive tackle who had 14 tackles for a loss last season.Preseason practice begins Aug. 4.
