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Former Alabama wide receiver Danny Woodson Jr. transferred to South Alabama in May. South Alabama officials have sent a request to the NCAA on Woodson's behalf seeking immediate eligibility for the former four-star recruit that would allow him to play for the Jaguars this season instead of sitting out a year. (Vasha Hunt/vhunt@al.com)

MOBILE, Alabama - South Alabama is seeking a hardship ruling for Alabama transfer wide receiver Danny Woodson Jr. that would allow the former LeFlore High standout to be eligible to play for the Jaguars this season.

Woodson, a 6-foot-1, 195-pound receiver who will have two seasons of eligibility with the Jags, transferred to South Alabama in May from Alabama where he played in just six games last season, catching one pass for nine yards. Such transfers, from one Football Bowl Subdivision team to another, require the player to sit out a year before becoming eligible to play for his new school.

However, the NCAA allows schools to make application for immediate eligibility if other factors play a role in a player's decision to transfer. Daniel McCarthy, assistant director of athletics for compliance and student services, did not disclose the specifics of the application made by the school in seeking immediate eligibility for Woodson, citing Woodson's privacy. But he acknowledged the school has filed a request with the NCAA.

South Alabama has applied for a ruling with the NCAA "that would allow him to play this season as opposed to being subject to the normal year of residency you would have to face as a transfer in football,'' McCarthy said. "The NCAA does have a request process. We saw this last year with (offensive lineman) James Elliott (who transferred from Kentucky).

"It allows for a school to seek relief from that rule if there are circumstances that meets very specific conditions that are ultimately out of the student's control. ... Is there a circumstance behind this transfer that's not necessarily athletic? That's kind of where we are with Danny.''

With the request delivered, the school now awaits word from the NCAA, which could make a ruling or request additional information. The timeframe for either is unknown.

"I've got everything in,'' McCarthy said. "As far as when we would hear on an outcome I'm not entirely sure. We're kind of waiting at this point. We have submitted it and we have the support of the University of Alabama to do so. That's part of the process. You've got to make sure the school that the student-athlete is coming from is supportive, and we have that support.

"We were able to gather enough information to at least comfortably submit it. Now, there's no guarantee. I've dealt with many, many waivers that we felt were slam-dunk cases that turned out not to be, so I can't speculate what will happen. My hope is that we hear something as early as the start of fall camp, but that may not be the case. If they need additional information we may go into a back-and-forth game with them that could last as long as it takes. But I feel like we're a head of it a little bit and with us still a week out from the start of camp, we've got a good shot at finding out what's going on some time soon.''

South Alabama begins fall practice on Thurs., Aug. 1. The Jaguars' first game of the season is Thurs., Aug. 29 against Southern Utah at Ladd-Peebles Stadium at 6:30 p.m.

Woodson was one of ESPN.com's top 150 prospects following his senior season at LeFlore. He earned a four-star ranking from ESPN.com as a recruit and was among the top 30 receiver prospects in the country. As a senior, Woodson hauled in 78 passes for 1,360 yards. He was a two-time Alabama Sports Writers Association first-team all-state selection and was also named to that organization's Super 12 team as a senior.

He is the son of former Alabama quarterback Danny Woodson Sr., who played for the Crimson Tide the 1990 and 1991 seasons.