Houston guard Quentin Grimes has received a waiver to play immediately this season, the school announced on Tuesday.
Grimes left Kansas last May after withdrawing from the NBA draft and ultimately chose Houston over Texas A&M in late June. Under NCAA rules, transfers usually have to sit out a year before being eligible for their new school, but Houston applied for a waiver and the NCAA granted it this week.
He will have three years of eligibility remaining.
Grimes, a 6-foot-5 guard, is a former McDonald's All-American and top-10 recruit from the 2018 class. He opened his Kansas career with 21 points and six 3-pointers against Michigan State in the Champions Classic last season but was up and down the rest of the way. He started all 36 games and averaged 8.4 points and 2.0 assists.
With Grimes in the fold, Houston is a legitimate contender in the American Athletic Conference. The Cougars won 33 games last season but lost all three of their perimeter starters. Grimes, sophomore Nate Hinton and junior DeJon Jarreau should form one of the most talented trios in the league.