Monday, July 28, 2008

You Can Punt the Cat

Jerrell Powe will play football for Ole Miss in 2008. If I can put on my red and blue glasses for a minute, Hotty Freaking Toddy.

You know the Powe story. Coming out of Wayne County in 2005, he signed with Ole Miss, and was perhaps the biggest signee for Ole Miss that year, and one of the best high school players in America during his senior year. The problem was that he wasn't going to be academically eligible to enter and play in the 2005 season. The world pretty much knew this going in; you can get a good read about it in Bruce Feldman's book Meat Market. He went to prep school for a fifth year of high school in 2005-2006.

Then the wait began. And he's been yanked around like a yo-yo by the NCAA ever since. He was rejected by the NCAA Clearinghouse in 2006. He actually got on the field for practice last year, only to be yanked, and given some kind of situation similar to the old Prop 48 rule-he could go to school but not play, then petition for eligibilty. Today, he was cleared to play in 2008.

Enjoy yourself out there, Jerrell.

Edited to add: This is usually the part where we Ole Miss fans get our hopes up only to be dashed. I'm anxious, 'cause I've been down this road before. Lucy is waiting on me to get ready to kick the ball, then she's going to yank it away.

At this point, I metaphorically want to burn her lemonade stand down.

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