East Carolina announced Wednesday that senior wide receiver/tight end Justin Jones and sophomore wide receiver Jabril Solomon are ineligible for the season.
Both were in summer school, and presumably did not make the needed grades.
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"While the support system we have in place here has been of great benefit to our student-athletes, we unfortunately reached a point where we are unable to help Justin and Jabril retain their eligibility," coach Ruffin McNeill said in a statement released by the school. "The expectations we have for everyone in our program are high, both on and off the field, and I'm disappointed whenever those aren't met or even exceeded."
Never a full-time starter, Jones (6 feet 8, 277 pounds) nevertheless was an intriguing NFL prospect because of his size and athleticism. His vertical jump has been measured at 37.5 inches, and he also bench-pressed 400 pounds. But all that potential never really translated to the field: He finishes his ECU career with 52 receptions for 598 yards and 12 TDs in 32 games. He had a career-high 25 catches last season.
Solomon (6-2, 182) played in all 12 games for the Pirates last season as a true freshman reserve, and had 17 receptions for 410 yards (24.1 yards per catch) and a score. He was considered one of ECU's top signees in the 2012 recruiting class.
Wide receiver might be the Pirates' deepest position, but Jones' red-zone abilities and Solomon's ability to be a legitimate deep threat will be missed. ECU is favored to win Conference USA's East Division.
Mike Huguenin can be reached at mike.huguenin@nfl.com. You also can follow him on Twitter @MikeHuguenin.
