NC State safety Jarvis Byrd was granted a sixth year of eligibility by the NCAA, the school announced Friday.
Byrd sustained a season-ending ACL injury in the fifth game of last season -- the third time in his career he tore his ACL. He also missed all of the 2010 and 2011 seasons with separate ACL injuries.
The news was not unexpected, but it was still a big relief for the Wolfpack and Byrd, who was playing very well last year before getting hurt again. After switching from cornerback to safety, Byrd started the first five games of the year and played very well. He had 17 tackles and took 302 snaps, and was a respected senior on the team, earning a spot on Dave Doeren's leadership council.
His return at least gives the Wolfpack a much-needed veteran in the mix. Doeren expects to have 51 true and redshirt freshmen on campus when August rolls around.
