The Danjel Purifoy saga has come to an end.
Auburn's highly touted small forward will be redshirted after sitting out this season because of an eligibility issue, Auburn announced on Tuesday. He will have four years of eligibility remaining.
After months of waiting, Auburn "was informed by the NCAA" on Purifoy's status, but Auburn's release did not specify whether the wing was officially ruled ineligible by the NCAA.
Auburn coach Bruce Pearl had said he would be hesitant to redshirt Purifoy unless he was declared ineligible by the NCAA because of his professional potential.
“I’ve always felt that within two years he could be a player that could be good enough to go play professionally,” Pearl said on Feb. 4. “If he was a four-year player that never — where there would never be a consideration for leaving early, then I absolutely would not play him. He absolutely would redshirt, and there would be no questions asked at this point.”
Purifoy has been enrolled in classes throughout the fall and spring semesters. He has practiced and traveled with the team throughout this season, but he was not eligible to play because the ACT Testing Center was still reviewing his high school ACT score.
Purifoy was a consensus four-star recruit in last year's recruiting class. He averaged 25 points, 11 rebounds and five blocks as a senior at Hargrave Military Academy.
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