Football: DB Worthy now eligible for Cajuns

Tim Buckley, The Advertiser, August 2012

When coach Mark Hudspeth first saw him after having heard the news, T.J. Worthy simply smiled.

Worthy, a Ragin’ Cajun transfer defensive back and former Ole Miss signee, has been granted immediate eligibility by the NCAA, Hudspeth said Wednesday.

"I’m excited for him, because it’s been a long year-and-a-half for T.J.," Hudspeth said. "Now, knowing he’s going to get to play — I know it’s a big load off of his mind.

"He’s also had a great first week of camp, so it’s a shot in the arm to know we’re gonna be able to throw him in there."

The Alabama high school product has been working in UL’s preseason camp as a reserve at both strong safety and free safety, where he’ll now be able to provide in a secondary that lost seniors Dwight "Bill" Bentley and Lionel Stokes and that has starting 2011 safety moving Jemarlous Moten to cornerback.

Worthy signed with Ole Miss coming out of Gadsden City High in Gadsden, Ala., the same school attended by Cajuns starting running back Alonzo Harris.

But he never did play in a game for the Rebels.

Worthy instead later transferred to UL for the 2012 spring semester, then appealed to the NCAA for a hardship that would allow him to play for the Cajuns right away.

That appeal originally was denied, which meant Worthy would have had to sit out a season — a full year from the transferring, actually — before being eligible to play at UL.

But UL appealed the denial, and the denial subsequently was overturned, making Worthy eligible for the 2012 season, UL sports information director Brian McCann said.

"We were optimistic it was gonna happen," Hudspeth said, "but you just never know."

Worthy, however, does remain suspended for UL’s Sept. 1 season opener against Lamar.

That action was made in mid-July by Hudspeth, who said at the time he was disciplining Worthy for missing summer-school class.

Nevertheless, the Cajun coach is happy to have him available beginning with a Sept. 8 game at Troy, back in Alabama.

"That makes it a little bit more comfortable for us, knowing he has performed well and we think he can be an impact player for us," Hudspeth said. "The more depth, obviously, the better."

Worthy went to Ole Miss as a wide receiver, but he’s been practicing at UL in the secondary, for a brief time at cornerback but more recently at safety.

Another Ole Miss transfer, Darius "Tig" Barksdale, is among those battling for starting sports at safety, as are a fifth-year senior Rodney Gillis and Mississippi Gulf Coast Community College transfer Will Burrowes.

The 6-foot-2, 190-pound Worthy was a Class 6A all-state honoree at Gadsden City High, where he caught 21 passes for 450 yards and nine touchdowns for a 10-4 team as a senior.

He was rated the 18th-best player in Alabama by Rivals.com and the 20th-best in the state by SuperPrep coming out of high school.

LAGNIAPPE: UL was still awaiting word Wednesday on the academic eligibility of outside linebacker Delvin Jones, who played two games for Ole Miss in 2010 before spending last season at Coffeyville Community College. "» Also Wednesday, a UL spokesman said linebacker Ryan Mosby of Heath, Texas, left the team after spring drills "on his own accord" and is no longer part of the program. The transfer from Arizona Western was part of UL’s 2012 signing class. "» After Friday’s morning practice Hudspeth will fly to Charlotte, N.C., for a live afternoon appearance on one of ESPNU’s college football shows.