NCAA grants Florida transfer Lorenzo Lingard Jr. eligibility for 2020

Florida transfer Lorenzo Lingard Jr. is eligible to play for the Gators in 2020.

The former Miami running back announced Friday, his birthday, that the NCAA granted his waiver request. Lingard told Gators Territory this week he believed it would happen based on the grounds of an illness to an immediate family member.

“My dad had his heart checked out after his mild heart attack,” Lingard said. “And as a result of that, they found some cysts on his kidneys. So he’s going to need surgery, but they don’t know when. He’s still doing dialysis for his kidneys.”

Student-athletes can receive a transfer waiver from the NCAA based on a family member's health or their own health, and the new school must be located within 100 miles of the player’s home or the ill family member.

Lingard's house in Orange City, Fla., falls within that distance to UF. The former five-star recruit transferred in January and had already been commuting back and forth before the COVID-19 shutdown in mid-March.

“By being at Florida, I was able to make two of his appointments that I would have missed before,” Lingard said. “It’s an hour and 40-minute drive, so I was able to go home and be present at his appointments. That made him feel a lot better, just having me there for support. It made me feel good, too.”

With the NCAA approving his transfer waiver, the Gators now have five running backs available on their 2020 roster. Lingard will compete for carries with projected starter Dameon Pierce and Malik Davis, as well as Iverson Clement and Nay'Quan Wright.