April 25, 2011

OXFORD, Miss. – The NCAA has approved a waiver request for Ole Miss quarterback Barry Brunetti to compete in the 2011 season, the school learned on Monday. The sophomore has three years of eligibility remaining.

Prior to the spring semester, Brunetti transferred to Ole Miss from West Virginia and competed in the Rebels’ spring drills.  In February, Ole Miss filed a waiver on Brunetti’s behalf requesting relief of the one-year residency requirement for transfers, so Brunetti’s mother, who suffers from health issues and lives in Memphis, could watch him play.

“It’s a great thing for the Brunetti family, and we are grateful to the NCAA,” said Rebels head coach Houston Nutt. “We appreciate the hard work by (compliance director) David Wells in working with Mrs. Brunetti to gather all of the details during this long process. We also thank (West Virginia coach) Bill Stewart for his support in the process.“

As a true freshman at WVU in 2010, Brunetti arrived in Morgantown in May and quickly soared up to No. 2 on the depth chart behind All BIG EAST quarterback Geno Smith. Brunetti saw action in four games last season for the Mountaineers, completing 4-of-9 passes for six yards and rushing once for four yards.

 A product of Memphis University School, Brunetti earned All-American honors from Parade and EA Sports and competed in the U.S. Army All-American Bowl and Liberty Bowl All-Star game as a senior. He was rated the nation's No. 3 dual-threat QB by Rivals.com.

Brunetti guided MUS to back-to-back 13-0 seasons and state championships in 2008 and 2009, earning All-State honors each season. He was the 2009 Commercial Appeal "Best of Preps" Offensive Player of the Year after passing for 2,257 yards, 23 touchdowns with only one interception and running for 519 yards and 13 TDs as a senior.

Brunetti finished his high school career, completing 240-of-432 for 3,882 yards and 43 touchdowns and rushing for 1,660 yards and 39 scores. He also lettered in basketball and track.