Auburn CB Jamel Dean said transfer is forcing him to sit in 2015

Jamel Dean, the highly touted cornerback who was medically ineligible to play at Ohio State and transferred to Auburn, will redshirt in 2015.

In an article by Florida Today, Dean said because he transferred schools the NCAA is requiring him to miss the 2015 season.

“Because of the whole NCAA transfer thing, I've got to sit out a year, so I've got to redshirt,” Dean said.

Dean suffered multiple knee injuries in high school, including a torn ACL in 2013 and a torn meniscus in the same knee in 2014. He enrolled at Ohio State in January, but was unable to practice in the spring because of another knee injury he suffered during his final game of his senior season. The university medical staff ultimately decided his knee was not going to be stable enough for competition and declared him medically ineligible to compete.

According to Dean, Ohio State offered him two options: a medical hardship, which would allow him to remain on scholarship but not play at Ohio State, or a transfer. Dean was courted by several teams and ended up at Auburn because of a relationship he had with defensive coordinator Will Muschamp while he was the head coach at Florida.

Dean’s biggest advocate when he reopened his recruitment was world-renowned surgeon Dr. James Andrews, who maintained that Dean could resume his playing career if he strengthened his quad muscles. With a season off, Dean will have adequate rehabilitation time to make sure his knee is in playing shape.

Still, Dean, who will enroll at Auburn in July, said it should have never come to this.

“I could have played this year,” he said.

For more Auburn news, visit AuburnSports.com.

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Graham Watson is the editor of Dr. Saturday on Yahoo Sports. Have a tip? Email her at dr.saturday@ymail.com or follow her on Twitter! Follow @YahooDrSaturday

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