Illinois tight end Luke Ford, a transfer from Georgia, has been denied immediate eligibility, both the athlete and Illini announced Wednesday.
Around 3:30 p.m., Ford tweeted: “My Waiver got denied... Thanks for all your support,” followed by a sad-face emoji. The tweet then continued: “It’s all in the Lord’s timing,” with a praying emoji.
“We’re all disappointed Luke Ford’s waiver request for immediate eligibility was denied,” Illinois sports information director Kent Brown later said in a text to The News-Gazette. “There is an appeal process that we intend (to) help Luke explore.”
The consensus No. 1 in-state prospect for 2018, Ford officially transferred to Illinois in January 2019 after his freshman year with the Bulldogs.