Missouri Football: Former JuCo Star Markus Golden Cleared To Play For Tigers

Markus Golden had to wait two years to join the Missouri football program after failing to qualify out of high school in 2010. Even after arriving in Columbia, Golden still had to wait for NCAA clearance. Golden was finally cleared Sunday and joined the Tigers for his first practice, according to a report from Dave Matter of the Columbia Daily-Tribune.

Golden, a 6-foot-3, 240-pound linebacker, was rated as a 3-star recruit by Rivals.com. After failing to qualify academically out of high school, Godlen attended Hutchinson Community College. Now, he comes to Missouri with three years of eligibility remaining and will likely contribute, at least in a special teams role, right away.

While Golden gained NCAA academic clearance Sunday, he still won't be able to practice in pads for a few more days. NCAA rules say each player must go through a five-day acclimatization period when they join fall camp practice. The first two days, the player can only wear helmets. That is followed by two practices of helmets and shoulder pads. On the players fifth day of practice, he can practice in full pads.

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