NC State signee Braxton Beverly may have to sit out season because he enrolled in classes at Ohio State

Braxton Beverly is not free and clear to play immediately at NC State, as we all assumed he was. According to a report from Joe Giglio of the N&O, Beverly had enrolled in classes at Ohio State before his decision to leave, which leaves his status in question for the upcoming year.

Since he had already begun classes, the NCAA may consider him an undergraduate transfer—thus requiring him to sit out a year—rather than merely a newly-unsigned free agent.

This issue is the result of the unusually late timing of Thad Matta’s removal. The first summer session of classes at Ohio State began on May 10. (h/t @No23Sports) Matta was not fired until early June. So Beverly no doubt enrolled under the assumption that he’d be playing for Matta as, y’know, he’d intended. Then, poof, Matta’s out, and Beverly wants out too.

This has absolutely nothing to do with the letter of intent he signed with Ohio State. OSU let him out of his LOI, and that has absolutely no bearing on his eligibility. If not for the brief summer school stint, he would be able to play this season without any question.

Safe to say this is a fairly unusual situation. Beverly would have been attending class for about a month, and the question is, will the NCAA grant him an exception considering the circumstances outside of his control (i.e., a coaching change)?

We may not know for a while—in his article, Giglio says this could take a couple of months to resolve.