Safety Tim Buckley on Monday became the first player to leave Penn State, saying he was transferring to North Carolina State, in the wake of the Jerry Sandusky scandal.
Buckley, a redshirt freshman, will be eligible to play this fall. He will attend North Carolina State's first workout Tuesday, coach Tom O'Brien said in a statement.
Players who transfer from one Division I program to another typically must sit out a year under NCAA guidelines. But because of the penalties against Penn State in the wake of the Jerry Sandusky child-abuse scandal, the NCAA has said any Penn State player who wants to transfer will be eligible to play elsewhere immediately.
"I am excited to be a member of the NC State Wolfpack,'' said Buckley, who is from Raleigh. "The opportunity to come here and play at my state university, so close to home, was something that I couldn't pass up.''
Buckley will have four years of eligibility. He finished 2012 spring practice listed as the backup at free safety on the Nittany Lions depth chart.
At Raleigh's Cardinal Gibbons High School, Buckley played running back, linebacker and safety. He was chosen the Carolina 3-A Conference Offensive Player of the Year in 2010. As a senior, he rushed for almost 1,800 yards ans scored 36 touchdowns as the Crusaders compiled an 11-3 record. In his junior year, the Crusaders went 12-2.
