Quarterback Anthony Alford has been granted his release by Southern Miss, according to

.

The true freshman from Petal started five games for the Golden Eagles in 2012, passing for 664 yards and rushing for 329. He was

, and had been suspended by the university pending an investigation.

Alford's high school coach,

, was offensive coordinator for the Golden Eagles under Ellis Johnson last season. However,

and members of his staff are not expected to be retained by

.

Alford was a

in football and baseball out of high school, winning the Gatorade Player of the Year award for Mississippi in both sports as a senior at Petal. He initially planned to also play baseball at Southern Miss, but

and played a

last summer after the Toronto Blue Jays

.

Alford would be free to transfer to another school to play football, though he would have to sit out the 2013 season under NCAA rules. However, he is ineligible to play college baseball at any school after

from the Blue Jays.