Former Kansas University defensive lineman Jamal Greene is exploring the possibility of transferring to MidAmerica Nazarene University, an NAIA school in Olathe.
Greene, a senior-to-be from Kansas City, Kan., was dismissed from the KU program after an arrest in March stemming from an incident with a gun at a Lawrence apartment. He was projected as a starter for the Jayhawks this season but was removed from the squad immediately by KU coach Turner Gill after his run-in with the law.
In May, Greene was charged with one count of aggravated burglary, three counts of aggravated assault and one count of aggravated robbery. He originally was scheduled to appear in court on June 10 but that hearing was pushed back twice, first to July 8 and again to Aug. 19.
Todd Peterson, director of football operations at MidAmerica, confirmed that Greene has met with MNU head coach Jonathan Quinn as well as the school’s athletic director on a couple of different occasions.
Peterson said there were still “some hoops Greene needs to jump through” before the transfer could be considered. But he stressed that there was mutual interest from both parties in allowing Greene to wrap up his playing career in Olathe.
“What we normally do with any transfer, I guess due diligence would be the best way to describe it,” Peterson said. “We sit down as a staff, look at our needs and evaluate how a player can help us and look at why he wants to transfer. After we figure out all of that, we’ll say, ‘You need to get X, Y and Z done,’ and then we’ll go from there.”
MNU has plenty of experience with Div. I transfers. Two years ago, the Pioneers added a transfer from Wyoming, and the team currently starts a linebacker who began his college career at Colorado.
“You would think we would be just drooling at the mouth over him and would love to have him,” Peterson said of Greene. “Jamal’s a man amongst boys, but a lot of D-I transfers show up on the first day and can’t believe the type of talent we have here.”
This spring without question was Greene’s best at KU. He performed well throughout spring drills and had emerged as a leader who consistently drew praise from the new coaching staff. There was even talk that, with his size and physical tools, a good senior year could earn Greene a shot in the NFL.
According to Peterson, that may still be a possibility.
“We have a lot of former NFL players coaching on our staff who know what it takes to play at that level and can help guys get there,” Peterson said.
Quinn and defensive backs coach Mark Collins both played for the Chiefs. Defensive line coach Duane Clemons was a former first-round draft pick of the Minnesota Vikings. And linebackers coach Anthony Davis was a member of the Super Bowl champion Baltimore Ravens in 2000.
Should Greene clear himself legally, he would be eligible to play this fall because players dropping down a level are not required to sit out a year before playing. KU associate athletic director Jim Marchiony said it was very likely Greene would be released from his scholarship without a problem. He added that Greene had not yet applied for the release from KU.
“If he wanted to play there, we’d wish him well,” Marchiony said.
