After two swings at convincing the NCAA to grant him immediate eligibility this season, Arizona transfer wide receiver DaVonte' Neal appears to have struck out.
Neal's latest appeal to play this season was denied, Wildcats head coach Rich Rodriguez said Monday. A third and final attempt to get around the NCAA requirement that would force Neal sit out one season after transferring from Notre Dame is coming, but Rodriguez was not optimistic that it would be successful.
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"The only thing I will say about some of the things with the NCAA is they're consistent with being inconsistent," Rodriguez told the Tucson Citizen on Monday.
Neal signed with Notre Dame and played in all 13 games last season, but left the Fighting Irish in April to be closer to his newborn daughter.
A four-star recruit coming out of Chaparral High in Scottsdale, Ariz., the 5-foot-10, 176-pound Neal could have helped fill the void created by the loss of leading receiver Austin Hill to a knee injury during spring practice.
While the Arizona offense has been prolific in its first two games, averaging 46.5 points, its passing offense has yet to do much. Arizona has only 168 yards through the air through two games, ahead of only Navy and its triple-option offense in the FBS.
Follow Dan Greenspan on Twitter @DanGreenspan.
