Kent State defensive back Qwuantrezz Knight is eligible to play this season after the NCAA approved his request for immediate eligibility.
Knight transferred to Kent State from Maryland and applied for an immediate-eligibility waiver, citing depression he says he developed while playing for the Terrapins. The NCAA's committee on legislative relief in June denied Knight's waiver request, but granted his appeal.
Knight, a junior from Quincy, Florida, announced his transfer from Maryland on Nov. 5, six days after the school fired coach DJ Durkin, who had briefly been reinstated from administrative leave after two investigations into the football program. Knight transferred to Kent State, and in May, he applied for an immediate-eligibility waiver, citing "depression symptoms due to the environment he experienced on the University of Maryland's football team," Kent State associate director for compliance Stephanie Rosinski wrote to the NCAA in a letter Knight provided to ESPN.
"I did not ask to be put in the mentally and physically threatening situation that I was put in at Maryland," Knight wrote in his personal statement to the NCAA, which he provided to ESPN. "Due to circumstances out of my control, I literally feared for my life and the lives of my teammates every day! I transferred because I could no longer be part of that program. It was harmful to my mental health."
Knight appeared in 26 games for Maryland, including four last season before he transferred. He has two years of eligibility left for Kent State, which opens the season Aug. 29 at Arizona State.