As it pursues Alabama graduate transfer quarterback Jalen Hurts, Oklahoma is blocking its own quarterback, Austin Kendall, from becoming immediately eligible at West Virginia as a graduate transfer, multiple sources told ESPN.
Under new transfer rules, Kendall is able to talk to West Virginia coaches and is free to transfer there. Oklahoma, however, still reserves the right under NCAA rules to keep Kendall from becoming immediately eligible at West Virginia, another Big 12 school, for the 2019 season, even though Kendall has earned his undergraduate degree at Oklahoma. Kendall could still transfer to West Virginia, but he would have to sit out the upcoming season, leaving him with only one year of eligibility left.
Kendall entered the transfer portal last Friday after learning the day before that the Sooners had been pursuing Hurts and had scheduled for Hurts to visit Norman over the weekend, a source said.
Because classes at many FBS schools across the country started this week, Kendall’s options for enrolling at a new university in time to participate in spring ball became limited. West Virginia had been a viable option, until Oklahoma intervened.
The SEC passed a rule last summer saying it would allow graduates to transfer within the conference and be eligible immediately, regardless. Previously, SEC players had to apply for a waiver. The Big 12 has no such rule, a league source confirmed.
Though not common, intraconference transfers do occur. In the Big 12, safety John Bonney left Texas for Texas Tech as a graduate transfer just before the 2018 season started and immediately became a key part in the Red Raiders’ secondary, facing off against the Longhorns later in the season.
In 2016, Big 12 members did vote to change its intraconference transfer rule for walk-ons and retroactively applied it to Oklahoma quarterback Baker Mayfield, giving him back a season of eligibility that he had previously lost. Mayfield had walked on to Texas Tech in 2013, then transferred to Oklahoma the following year without a scholarship. Under the previous Big 12 rule, which the league initially upheld before reversing course in a re-vote the following day, Mayfield would have, in addition to sitting out the first year, also lost a season of eligibility. With his fourth year of eligibility restored, Mayfield won the Heisman Trophy and led the Sooners to the College Football Playoff.
After backing up Mayfield in 2015, Kendall redshirted in 2016, then backed up Heisman Trophy winner Kyler Murray, who had transferred in from Texas A&M, last season.
While an assistant at Kentucky, West Virginia coach Neal Brown had recruited Kendall, a Charlotte native, out of high school. Kendall would figure to contend for the Mountaineers’ starting job, with West Virginia looking to replace two-year starter Will Grier.
A source said that regardless, Kendall is now committed to leaving Oklahoma and has withdrawn from classes at the school. Kendall has visited Auburn this week, in addition to receiving interest from other schools.
Oklahoma officials were not immediately available for comment.