Ohio State receiver C.J. Saunders has NCAA waiver denied for extra year of eligibility

I have to admit, this is a little surprising.

The fine folks at Ohio State held a conference call with reporters today. Part of the purpose was to announce and have available the captains for the 2020 season, but there were other things touched on as well.

One of those was the status of receiver C.J. Saunders. Most were a little baffled as to why he was not among the captains, being that he was a captain last year and has been a very vocal leader through the pandemic and social justice movement.

Well, we got our answer when it was revealed by head coach Ryan Day that Saunders’ appeal for another year of eligibility was denied. He had been seeking a sixth-year of eligibility because of a significant knee injury last season, something most thought was a foregone conclusion.

C.J. Saunders has had his waiver denied by the NCAA and will not play for Ohio State this season. Buckeyes plan to add him to the coaching staff in some capacity.

— Jeremy Birmingham (@Birm) August 4, 2020

At the end of the day though, it appears the NCAA did not feel it was warranted and I for one will never understand why.

Day did say that OSU plans to add him to the coaching staff in some way, shape, or form so not all is lost.