The Kentucky Wildcats are still waiting to learn if Joey Gatewood and Olivier Sarr can play for their respective teams this season.
Sarr, who has already been cleared the NCAA, is now waiting on the SEC to decide if he can play during the 2020-21 season. The SEC has a rule that states players who transfer into the SEC must have two years of eligibility left to be eligible to play. Otherwise, they have to sit out a full season, though Kentucky can apply for a waiver to get the Wake Forest transfer eligible now.
As for Gatewood, he’s an in-conference transfer after leaving Auburn to join Kentucky. Under current SEC rules, any player who transfers within the SEC must sit out a year. Gatewood has also been granted a waiver by the NCAA but now needs clearance from the SEC.
On Monday, Mark Stoops revealed that the SEC is planning to have a vote on whether in-conference transfers like Gatewood can be eligible right away.
Here is the full question and answer from Mark Stoops on changing the rule about transfers within the SEC pic.twitter.com/pgDbeaWoml
— Jon Hale (@JonHale_CJ) September 28, 2020
If this is true, then Kentucky should know fairly soon if Gatewood can play this season.
Also, if the SEC presidents are voting on the in-conference transfer rule, perhaps they’ll also soon have a vote on whether guys like Sarr can transfer into the conference with only one season of playing eligibility left and still be eligible to play immediately.
We can only hope.