Jones allowed to join Ducks.

Byline: Bob Clark The Register-Guard

Oregon got a thumbs up from the NCAA on Friday concerning the football eligibility of freshman receiver Derrick Jones, meaning he will be able to play for the Ducks in the 2006 season without serving any penalty for the short time he was with the USC football team two years ago.

Jones had previously been cleared to compete in track and field this spring for Oregon, and is with that UO team in Provo, Utah, for the NCAA regionals.

`I'm pretty happy and relieved,' Jones said. `I wasn't sure I was going to be able to play (football) this year, so I finally got the monkey off my back. I've been waiting a long time.'

Jones found out his status in a Friday afternoon telephone call from Mike Bellotti, the UO football coach, shortly after the coach had been informed of the NCAA's decision.

"I sort of kidded him," Bellotti said. "I said, `Geez, I have bad news. ... You're going to have to come to fall camp to play football.' He said, `All right!' and said to tell you guys (reporters), `Let the work begin.'"

Bellotti said he's "obviously very pleased and excited" about the decision, and credited Bill Clever, the UO assistant director of athletics for compliance who handled Oregon's request for a waiver of the transfer rule, and UO faculty representative James O'Fallon for their work on the appeal.

"I was very hopeful and optimistic it would happen, but you never know," Bellotti said.

Clever said he also had been optimistic about the resolution of the Jones appeal because `there was some strong precedent out there for us to rely on' from previous cases for other athletes in similar situations.

There was also the fact Jones had never attended a class at Southern California and that there had been the two-year break between his time with the Trojans and joining the Ducks.

The status of Jones was in question because he had practiced with the USC football team for 11 days prior to the 2004 season. Jones had signed with the Trojans as a high school senior, and before his eligibility was finalized, he joined workouts at USC, which is permissible for an athlete for up to 14 practices while awaiting a final decision.

When the NCAA Clearinghouse decided he wasn't fully qualified academically to be eligible for competition, USC denied him admission to the school.

Jones signed letters of intent with the Ducks in both 2005 and this year before finally being declared a full qualifier by the NCAA, and he was subsequently admitted to Oregon for spring term classes.

Because of those practices he spent at USC, Jones was initially termed a transfer student at Oregon. Under normal transfer policies, Jones would have had to be in residence for a year at Oregon before being eligible to play in football games, but the UO compliance office filed an appeal with the NCAA, requesting a waiver from the transfer designation.

Jones was allowed to practice with the Ducks and participated in spring drills. Jones was also cleared almost immediately to be eligible in track and field, which operates under slightly different rules than football on transfers, and he ran for the Ducks late this spring in the 100 meters and on the 4x100 relay.

"A lot of people mistakenly felt that because he was running track he would automatically be eligible for football," Bellotti said. "Obviously, that wasn't the case."

Jones was a football and track standout at Long Beach Poly High School. A prep all-American in football as a senior, he won the 200 meters at the California state high school meet and was fifth in the 100. He caught 11 touchdown passes as a senior and 16 as a junior, and scored eight more touchdowns on kickoff and punt returns those two seasons.

"I think he could be like a Samie Parker," Bellotti said, referring to another Long Beach Poly two-sport star who competed at Oregon as a wide receiver and sprinter and now plays for the Kansas City Chiefs. "He's got that kind of speed and that kind of athleticism, and he catches the ball very well.

"He's very rusty. He'd be the first to admit he has a lot of work to do on his strength and the other particulars of the position, having been out for two years, but he has certain attributes like speed and ability to catch the ball that are great things to start with.

"I think he has a huge upside. I'm really excited. That certainly eases my mind about some of that stuff at wide receiver. The addition of a healthy, eligible Derrick Jones to that group immediately makes it better."

In spring football, Jones at times showed off his speed and good hands, though he was also hindered by minor injuries that limited his participation.

`I worked hard this spring, just trying to get better and stronger and get ready for the season," Jones said. "I feel like I can come in and help the team. That's what I'm here for.'

Though Jones didn't match his personal bests set in high school while running for the Ducks this spring, that was understandable considering his limited training over the previous two springs while he wasn't on a team, and the fact he went from spring football to track without the conditioning background of teammates and competitors.

Jones runs the third leg for the Oregon 4x100 relay team, which won the Pac-10 title at Hayward Field earlier this month and Friday qualified for today's final in the event at the NCAA West Regional in Provo.

Register-Guard reporters Curtis Anderson and Ron Bellamy contributed to this report.

CAPTION(S):

Derrick Jones was prized by Oregon for his speed, athleticism.