SEC rule prevents receiver Tre Walker's transfer to MSU after his commitment
For a few moments on Friday, it appeared Mississippi State had added a significant piece to its 2021 offense. Then that piece quickly had to go away.
Receiver Tre Walker out of San Jose State tweeted on Friday afternoon that he had committed to MSU. However Friday evening, Walker came back and announced that ultimately he wouldn't be able to come play for the Bulldogs due to a Southeastern Conference rule.
So what exactly is this rule? In the SEC Bylaws and Commissioner Regulations handbook, it's bylaw 14.5.5.6. This bylaw lays out requirements for student-athletes transferring from one four-year school to another and one of those requirements is that, in order to transfer into the SEC, a player must have two years of eligibility remaining unless he has already graduated.
Walker does not meet those requirements as he has only one year of eligibility left and hasn't yet graduated from San Jose State. If he had a degree in hand, he'd have been able to come to MSU as a graduate transfer in much the same way the Bulldogs have gotten players such as quarterbacks K.J. Costello and Tommy Stevens in the recent past. However, with no degree and just one year left to play, Martin can't suit up at State, or anywhere else in the SEC.
It leaves MSU without the services of a player that has the third-most yards receiving in the history of San Jose State. Over four seasons with the Spartans, Walker totaled 2,790 receiving yards. He also had 12 touchdowns.
In the recently-completed 2020 season, Walker was San Jose State's second-leading receiver. He totaled 627 yards and four touchdowns over the Spartans' eight games. He was tabbed First Team All-Mountain West for a second consecutive year.
Walker could've provided instant help for State's Air Raid offense. Instead, it appears he'll have to find a different destination than MSU to wrap up his collegiate playing career.
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