NCAA denies hardship waiver for FSU defensive lineman Darrell Jackson

The NCAA has denied an eligibility waiver for Florida State Seminoles defensive lineman Darrell Jackson Jr.

In March, the organization updated its waiver parameters to try and curb the trend of players undergoing multiple transfers during their collegiate careers:

In all sports, four-year undergraduate student athletes who decide to transfer to a new NCAA school can generally be eligible to compete for the new school provided that they have not previously transferred and notify their current school by entering the NCAA Transfer Portal during their sport-specific transfer window.

Jackson, who began his career with the Maryland Terrapins, transferred to Florida State this offseason in an effort to be closer to his mother who is dealing with health issues.

“She thinks it’s her fault, but it’s not,” Jackson said on Tuesday. “I’m going to continue to be there for my mom and see how things play out.”

He also claimed that the NCAA did not provide an explanation for the denial of his waiver, saying “I don’t know if they’re trying to prove a point or what?”

“I thought that [his reason for transferring] was shown and presented, but ultimately the NCAA, they have a choice of what they’re going to do and the decision that they made,” head coach Mike Norvell said.

“It’s sad that he’s gonna miss games....obviously, he’s hurt.”

Jackson’s FSU bio:

Has appeared in 25 collegiate games with 12 starts and recorded 49 tackles, including 4.5 for loss with 3.0 sacks, and one pass breakup…played in all 12 games with 11 starts his sophomore year at Miami…registered 27 tackles, 4.5 for loss with 3.0 sacks, and one pass breakup…made career-high seven tackles vs. North Carolina…saw action in all 13 games with start in Pinstripe Bowl his true freshman season at Maryland and totaled 22 tackles…made season-high six tackles in 20-17 win at Illinois and matched season-high stops total in 54-10 victory vs. Virginia Tech in Pinstripe Bowl…ranked 44th among strongside defensive ends in Class of 2021 by Rivals out of Gadsden County High School…made 23 tackles, 5.0 for loss, with one fumble recovery and one pass breakup in seven games his senior year…helped Jaguars reach semifinal round of 4A state playoffs…was teammates with current FSU defensive tackle Joshua Farmer at Gadsden County.