Now that star wide receiver Dorial Green-Beckham has been denied a waiver that would have granted him immediate eligibility this fall for Oklahoma, the possibility that he'll never play a down for the Sooners -- and instead, declare eligibility for the 2015 NFL Draft -- is one that OU coach Bob Stoops recognizes.
For now, Stoops suggested Green-Beckham plans to stay at OU and play in college next season.
"That isn't something that's been decided," Stoops said, according to newsok.com. "Right now it seems that he wants to do that and is heading that way and we want to support him in every possible way."
Being three years removed from high school by next year, Green-Beckham will be eligible for the 2015 draft. But whether the much-maligned junior would be wise to declare for it is an entirely different question. He was dismissed from Missouri for disciplinary reasons last spring following a burglary investigation for which he was legally cleared, but allegedly pushed a female down a stairwell. After two previous drug-related arrests, Green-Beckham ran out of chances at Missouri and transferred to OU. NCAA rules require FBS transfers to sit out one season, and Green-Beckham's failed appeal means he will have to do just that this fall.
Returning to OU to play in 2015 might delay an NFL payday, but it would give Green-Beckham a much-needed year to both repair his image and re-establish himself as one of college football's elite talents at the wide receiver position. At 6-foot-6 and 225 pounds, he made 53 catches for 883 yards and 12 touchdowns for the Tigers in 2013.
*Follow Chase Goodbread on Twitter **@ChaseGoodbread.*
