Friday, the nation's current most visible college football team, the No. 1 LSU Tigers, announced the dismissal of its most famous player, SEC Defender of the Year and elite return man Tyrann Mathieu. It's for a violation of team rules, which wouldn't be his first, as he was also suspended for a game last year.
Mathieu will have to continue his quest to play in the NFL (he'd already indicated he wanted 2012 to be his last college season) elsewhere, and he won't get to do it at the FBS level. Unless given special clearance by the NCAA, transferring players have to sit out a year if they're making a lateral move.
Ordinarily, this would be the signal for a move to Valdosta State, North Alabama, or any of the other Division II programs that have made their names by providing homes for wayward college football players kicked out by top programs. However, that's assuming a typical case:
If Tyrann Mathieu became ineligible bc of a 3rd failed drug test, he will not be able to play this yr at another NCAA school.
— Bruce Feldman (@BFeldmanCBS) August 10, 2012
That would mean dropping all the way to the NAIA level. We'll have to wait and see where he ends up, but Joe Schad reported he'd already begun looking for a new home before the news broke and Les Miles didn't indicate Mathieu would have any specific trouble transferring.
In two seasons, Mathieu has already become one of the better-decorated defenders in the sport's history, showing up as a Heisman finalist in 2011.
For more on Tigers football, visit LSU blog And The Valley Shook, plus SEC blog Team Speed Kills.
While we’re here, let’s watch some of the many fine college football videos from SB Nation’s YouTube channel:
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