South Alabama cornerback Jalen Thompson is academically ineligible to play this fall, a source confirmed to AL.com.
Thompson, a junior from Mobile, is one of the Jaguars' top returning defensive players for 2017. He has totaled 56 tackles and five interceptions the last two seasons, including a team-best four pickoffs in 2016.
A former star at St. Paul's Episcopal School, Thompson was one of the more highly decorated recruits in program history when he signed with USA in 2016. He has not redshirted in his college career, so he could return as a fourth-year junior in 2018 should he get his academics in order.