While it seems like every transfer waiver under the sun is getting approved by the NCAA nowadays, that is not the case.
Coastal Carolina OL Brock Hoffman’s move to Virginia Tech was thought to be an easy approval due to the health of his mother but his initial waiver to be eligible in 2019 was denied by the folks in Indianapolis last week. Then, news surfaced not long afterward that Georgia transfer Luke Ford was denied his waiver after moving over to Illinois for similar circumstances.
Both have said they will appeal the decisions and it appears each player is bringing in a big gun in order to help them play right away this by retaining the services of high-powered lawyer Thomas Mars.
I have been informed that Tom Mars has officially been hired as the attorney in Luke Ford’s case. Mars has been coined the “the most impactful man in a suit in college football” by Pat Forde (@YahooForde). Mars has notably won Shea Patterson’s (MICH) waiver case in the past.
— Aarman Sethi (@asethi03) April 28, 2019
The Athletic also spoke to Mars about Hoffman’s waiver and confirmed he’s consulting on that case.
For those who haven’t kept up with such matters, Mars has become the go-to in dealing with the NCAA on waiver cases the past few years. He successfully got Shea Patterson cleared at Michigan after transferring from Ole Miss and has been involved in a host of other high-profile rulings ever since.
While many expected the waivers to get approved on appeal either way, the addition of Mars to the equation certainly makes both Hoffman and Ford a little more confident that they’ll be able to play later this fall given the lawyer’s track record against the folks in Indy.
