NCAA Denies Appeal For Transfer Center Brock Hoffman

Brock Hoffman, Silas Dzansi, Virginia Tech
Brock Hoffman (left) will have to wait a year before he can play for Virginia Tech. (Ivan Morozov)

The NCAA has denied Virginia Tech’s appeal that Coastal Carolina transfer Brock Hoffman be granted immediate eligibility.  As a result, Hoffman will sit out the 2019 season and redshirt.  He was projected to start at center for the Hokies this season.  He will now be a redshirt junior for the 2020 season.

“While extremely disappointed in this final decision by the NCAA, Virginia Tech Athletics and the football staff will continue to provide our unwavering support and compassion to Brock and his family,” the athletic department said in a statement that was released on Tuesday evening.

Hoffman’s mother, Stephanie, had surgery to correct an acoustic neuroma – a non-cancerous brain tumor, in January of 2017.  He decided to transfer to be closer to her, and to make it easier on her to attend his games.  However, there is a 100-mile radius that applies to cases such as these, and Hoffman’s home in North Carolina is five miles outside of that 100-mile radius from Blacksburg, which is the reason his original waiver request was denied.

According to Andy Bitter of The Athletic, the fact that Hoffman waited too long to decide to transfer was the final factor in the NCAA’s decision to deny his appeal.

Hoffman posted a 4.0 GPA in the spring and fall semesters of 2018, according to the release by Virginia Tech.  He started every game in his two years at Coastal Carolina at both center and guard. 

Redshirt junior Zachariah Hoyt, who started nine games at both center and guard last season, is current projected to start at center in 2019.  He’ll be backed up by redshirt freshman John Harris.

46 Responses You are logged in as Test

  1. Read this from CBS: Ex-Michigan defensive lineman Aubrey Solomon granted waiver for immediate eligibility at Tennessee

  2. If there’s a silver lining, it’s that Tech’s O-line is going to be nasty in 2020 & 2021

    1. Best reply. No use in complaining about a very bad system. NCAA is not reformable. Let the pancakes be served.

    2. Is there any chance that Brock may now go to another school since he must sit out a year???

  3. This is total bullshit. If Brock played for Bama or OSU he’d be playing. This is the most worthless and corrupt organization in the country. Screw these guys.

    First Nolley now Hoffman. Looks like we don’t have enough money to pay off these bastards.

    1. Agree. You can bet that if a similar situation happened at Alabama, Ohio State, or even UNCheat that the player would be declared eligible.

    2. The NCAA operates like the Mafia. F them. They could careless about the well being of student athletes unless it benefits the NCAA.

  4. This is, I am sorry to say, to an extent on Tech’s athletic dept.. As I recall an attorney who routinely handles these sorts of things offered to help Brock and Tech indicated he wasn’t needed, and that the Tech athletic dept would help him. Well, that strategy didn’t turn out too well.

    1. Actually the fact that he waited two years does weaken any argument to be closer to family. It isn’t on VT. The issue is the ncaa and how it decides other cases that are obviously about playing time

      1. I think that attorney could have ameliorated or dealt with the 2 year issue in his supporting documents; I’m not sure VT a. dept did.

        1. That is correct, Vt suggested for The Hoffmans not retain the attorney, that it could be handled in house. They, the Hoffmans, didn’t want to rock the boat. A decision they now regret.

          1. The Hoffman family messed this up themselves by handling the initial request on their own, turning down VTs offer to assist. Their initial request had two major things against it — distance and time, and having VT and others familiar with the process involved would have helped them shape a more cogent and reasonable request, possibly even steered them away from a medical waiver and toweards a coaching change waiver. But they decided to go it alone.

      2. not necessarily. Who hasn’t ever tried to weather out a difficult circumstance in life, only to find it was to hard to do? Perhaps that needed to be documented in some way. But I would think Brock and his mother tried to make the best of the circumstances, allowing him to continue his education at Coastal Carolina, only to find it was too tough with his mom’s sickness because of the distance. For the NCAA to deny the appeal on the grounds he waited to long really means it was some dumb@## NCAA di#@he$d who’s getting his pockets lined by the sorry @@$#@ powerhouse program in college athletics acting high on his power. People like the NCAA pricks that made this decision deserve every bad event that could happen to them. Yes, when someone is faced with challenges like this, you have to keep your chin up and press on, take the high road. Hopefully Brock and his family can find blessings as he now spends an additional year at Virginia Tech. But as fans and supporters of the program, the NCAA has to be called out on this crap. Its vindictive and capricious on there part. “its a 100 mile radius” well this is 105, he could move down the road and be within the 100 miles. “okay, we’ll give you that, but we’ll still deny it because you waited to long” BULL@###

  5. Has there been any talk of sueing the NCdoubleA? I remember Bruce Smith sued the same stupid bastards for the right to play in the 1984 Independence Bowl and won. That was over someone allegedly delivering a pickup truck load
    of free firewood to Bruce’s house in Norfolk. Which is more stupid than 5 miles or two years. The NCdoubleA is a 3rd world autocratic totalitarian dictatorship. If it wasn’t happening to Virginia Tech I’d be laughing at the absurdity and keep on channel surfing. The member college presidents need to have their gonads nailed to a stump, set the stump on fire, and toss them a pen knife.

    1. And VT paid a big price for that a few later. When Dooley got caught with accounting irregularities WRT scholarships, we got hammered by the NCAA.

  6. The NCAA officials talk out of both sides of their mouth. They are just as bad as our politicians. They claim to be great supporters of the student athlete; however, when it really matters their silly rules are the bottom line. No common sense exists with any of them. Shame on the NCAA!!!!!!

    1. that is the bottom line sad reality. the organization hides stated purpose of protecting student athletes and the integrity of college athletics. But at its core, the organization is corrupt. A blue blood program would have cut the necessary under the table payment. Shame on the NCAA is right.

  7. The NCAA is corrupt as hell, there are many examples. Furthermore, UNC commits academic fraud involving student athletes and no penalty?

  8. So a guy can get kicked off a team and play immediately at a rival school, but a 4.0 student transfers after his coach leaves and mother becomes sick, but is denied eligibility. Common sense ain’t common and people hate admitting when they’ve made an bad decision initially.

    1. Did the kid who was kicked off the team stay in school and get his degree, thus making him a graduate transfer?

  9. how typically stupid,

    n c a a –

    a common sense, compassion, or reasonability contest you’ll never win.

    Brock, please hang in there. we’re praying for your Mom and your family.

  10. I get the two years but the five miles? The facts of this request were long ago submitted. The timing begs a big question!

  11. For whatever it’s worth there should be a media campaign to point out the hypocrisy of the decision. Only way to effect change is to shine a bright light on it.

  12. B-rock – keep your head up, keep the awesome grades coming in – be with your mom and dad and this year will fly by and we will see you ion 2020 blocking for the Fu-fense and loving life!

  13. Such BS. Lesson learned: Lawyer up from the get go. So unfair when players like Shea Patterson, Justin Fields, & Tate Martell are granted waivers for less.

  14. Did not know about the time between the operation and the transfer. Why does the mileage keep getting brought up if the timing of the transfer is the reason for the denial? We were fuming about 5 miles but the two years is the real reason?

    1. What if…he didn’t like the progress, or lack thereof that his mom was making?

      What if his mom needs him now and didn’t two years ago?

      Relationships are hard to maintain from a distance especially with I’ll parents.

      1. Why haven’t we heard this little tidbit of info before now? It’s whole case and we’re just now hearing it?

  15. Wow…… he tried to stick it out where he I initially committed and got punished for it.

    Go eff yourself, NCAA.

    1. Hoffmans family wanted to handle the initial waiver request on their own, without offered help from VT. And it bit them in the butt.

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