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Alabama quarterback Luke Del Rio (14) throws in drills during Alabama's Thursday football practice, Thursday, October 31, 2013, at the Hank Crisp Indoor Facility in Tuscaloosa, Ala. (Vasha Hunt/vhunt@al.com)
Former Alabama walk-on quarterback Luke Del Rio will be immediately eligible to play this season at Oregon State.
Typically, players who transfer between two FBS programs are required to sit out the season, regardless of their scholarship status. Del Rio, though, was not technically recruited by Alabama, and that apparently provided an exception.
"I didn't really see a good reason why I shouldn't have been (eligible for 2014)," Del Rio told The Oregonian. "So I'm glad that they saw it the same way and I'm excited."
In an interview earlier this week, Del Rio laid out why he possibly qualified for an exception.
"If you're recruited, it's an automatic 'no,'" Del Rio told the Portland Tribune before his ruling. "But if you are unrecruited, (NCAA officials) look at your circumstances. They came back with a couple of more questions, which was encouraging. If they don't, it's usually a 'no.'"
According to an Oregonian report from earlier this week, Del Rio, the son of Denver Broncos defensive coordinator Jack Del Rio, is competing for the backup job behind senior Sean Mannion. He is now considered a redshirt freshman with four years of eligibility.
"He throws a really heavy ball," Oregon State wide receiver Richard Mullaney told The Tribune. "It gets right there on you. It's good."
Del Rio was recruited by Oregon State out of high school but opted to attend Alabama as a walk-on. He received praise from Alabama coach Nick Saban, who said he considered Del Rio to be the third option at quarterback behind AJ McCarron and Blake Sims but opted to maintain his redshirt.