Palaie Gaoteote ruled immediately eligible, cleared for Ohio State

After a lengthy process with the NCAA, Ohio State transfer linebacker Palaie Gaoteote has been granted immediate eligibility, according to Lettermen Row’s Austin Ward.

The former five-star prospect will have two years of eligibility remaining with the Buckeyes. The deliberation on his waiver application with the NCAA was a complicated process.

Ward noted in his article on Lettermen Row that: “Ohio State officially received word from the NCAA about his clearance on Friday, capping off a case that once seemed like a long-shot Hail Mary with a positive outcome for everybody involved.”

On Thursday, Ohio State head coach Ryan Day announced that Gaoteote IV’s appeal had been denied, but Ohio State continued to work with the NCAA and USC to find a solution to get the former five-star prospect eligible to play.

The news is massive for both Ohio State and Gaoteote IV. The Buckeyes get a 6-foot-2, 248-pound linebacker who was a former five-star prospect coming out of high school.

He attended national powerhouse Bishop Gorman (Las Vegas, Nevada) with his cousin, senior Ohio State defensive tackle Haskell Garrett.

USC career

Gaoteote appeared in 20 games with the Trojans, with 14 starts in his three years with USC. The 6-foot-2, 248-pounder tallied 105 total tackles, including 7.5 tackles for loss, and two sacks in his career there. His best season came in 2019 as a sophomore, when he racked up 58 tackles in eight games, including a career high 14 against Utah.

Bishop Gorman career

Bishop Gorman (Las Vegas, Nevada) is one of the top high school football programs in America. In 2014 and 2015, the Gaels won back-to-back national championships on the high school gridiron. The program has produced some of the top high school football prospects in America, including former Oklahoma Sooner great Demarco Murray.

In 2017, Gaoteote was named a MaxPreps first team All-American his senior year at Bishop Gorman.