Deemed not good enough academically for North Carolina -- insert the one-liners at your leisure -- James Pierre has been deemed qualified for another ACC school instead.
Friday, Syracuse announced that Pierre has signed with the Orange and officially added to the football team’s roster. The move comes a little over two weeks after reports surfaced that the defensive back was denied admission to UNC.
Because he had not attended classes at UNC, Pierre is eligible to play in 2016. He’ll have the standard five years to use four seasons of eligibility.
“They talked to me about the real meaning of life and what comes with it,” Pierre told the Syracuse Post-Standard in a Twitter direct message, “and I just feel deeply inside I can be a better man in life and become successful.”
A three-star 2016 recruit, Pierre was rated as the No. 48 safety in the country. In addition to UNC, Pierre held scholarship offers from, among others, Cincinnati, Kentucky, Louisville, Miami, Mississippi State, South Carolina, Tennessee, West Virginia and Wisconsin.