Tech’s Hunt-Days won’t be eligible for Orange Bowl
Georgia Tech defensive lineman Jabari Hunt-Days has not regained his eligibility following the fall semester and will not be able to play for the Yellow Jackets in the Orange Bowl against Mississippi State.
Tech’s NCAA compliance office reached the conclusion after its certification process, according to Tech spokesman Chris Yandle. Hunt-Days was declared academically ineligible in May after falling behind an NCAA checkpoint measuring progress towards graduation. He could have regained eligibility following the fall semester had he made sufficient progress.
Hunt-Days has practiced with the team this season, serving on the defensive scout team, and was honored as the defensive scout team player of the year for his contributions in preparing the Yellow Jackets offense. He can remain with the team, participate in spring practice and attempt to regain eligibility following the end of the spring term.
The addition of Hunt-Days, one of the best defensive players on the roster, would have been a significant bonus for the bowl game, as well as a reward for Hunt-Days for his efforts. Instead, Tech will likely stick with its three-man rotation of Adam Gotsis, Shawn Green and Patrick Gamble for its nose tackle and defensive tackle spots.
Going into the 2015 season, Hunt-Days will have one year of eligibility remaining.
About the Author
Ken Sugiura is a sports columnist at the Atlanta Journal-Constitution. Formerly the Georgia Tech beat reporter, Sugiura started at the AJC in 1998 and has covered a variety of beats, mostly within sports.
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