HS Football Star Deemed Ineligible for Too Many Credits

A Michigan high school football player was deemed ineligible for his senior season, but not for any standard disciplinary reasons. 

Abdur-Rahmaan Yaseen, one of the state’s top prospects and a Northwestern commit, has taken too many class credits above his grade level according to the Michigan High School Athletic Association — meaning in the eyes of the state association, he’s no longer an eligible high school athlete. 

The Detroit News reports that Yaseen was homeschooled prior to his arrival at Walled Lake Western for his freshman year in 2016, but at that time had enough course credits to be deemed a sophomore. 

“They treated it as him getting held back in school and not fixing his grade, so his high school clock started the year before high school,” Walled Lake Western coach Alex Grignon told The Detroit News.

The school appealed the decision, but was turned down. A second appeals process is underway, though it’s unlikely that Yaseen will be eligible for the team’s first game later this month. 

An MHSAA spokesperson said that the association’s policy allows schools to discuss these matters in public before providing details. 

As for whether the snafu might affect Yaseen’s status at Northwestern, Grignon said that the school is firm on welcoming Yaseen. 

“I talked to Northwestern (Thursday), they said, ‘Hey, we’ve got his back, 100 percent. It’s fine with us, it’s just unfortunate he doesn’t get to play this fall, doesn’t get to experience his senior year,’ ” Grignon told The Detroit News.

Yaseen will reportedly enter Northwestern as an early enrollee in January. He had offers from 22 other programs, and chose Northwestern over Iowa State, Iowa, Purdue, Boston College and Indiana.