This might not be the end of the road for Arizona Wildcats receiver Shawn Poindexter.
Yes, Poindexter participated in the post-practice senior sendoff Thursday. And he will participate in the Senior Night ceremony before Arizona’s game against Oregon State on Saturday.
But Poindexter is seeking an additional year of eligibility, and he thinks he has a strong case.
Poindexter graduated from Peoria Centennial High School in 2012 and signed with Cal Baptist to play volleyball. But he withdrew from school because of what he described as a “financial hardship.”
Poindexter’s mother had a medical issue. He spent most of the next two years working. He helped his stepfather, who’s an electrician. He bused tables at Valle Luna, a Mexican restaurant chain in Phoenix. He worked at a Cinnabon bakery.
It wasn’t until 2015 that Poindexter resumed his athletic career, joining the football team at Glendale Community College. He is about to finish his third season of football — the last two at Arizona.
Student-athletes generally get five years to play four, so it’ll be up to the NCAA — a notoriously fickle organization — to determine when Poindexter’s eligibility clock started and stopped.
“We’re gonna go through the senior ceremony and see what the appeal says afterward,” Poindexter said. “We all feel good about it. I think my case is very sensitive. I feel like the NCAA should respect what I went through.”
Poindexter’s experiences give him a different perspective than most Division I football players. Poindexter was barely recruited out of Glendale Community College. Arizona discovered him late in the process and took a flier on the raw but promising 6-foot-5-inch athlete.
“I’ve always had to take the back road to get where I’m going,” Poindexter said. “I know that I’m going to have to take the back road for the rest of my life.
“It just puts a chip on my shoulder. You’ve always gotta work hard. You don’t take anything for granted. This is a way better job than working at a restaurant or pulling wires through homes.”
Poindexter has emerged as a starter this season. He is the best blocker among the wide receivers and has caught 10 passes for 142 yards.
But he’s still learning, and he’d like to get another year to hone his skill set and help the team. Poindexter didn’t feel as if he played his best against USC last week. He blamed his indecisiveness for some of the sacks Khalil Tate ended up taking.
“There was a route where I stuck a post, then I double-dipped Khalil and he hung on to the ball for a little bit,” Poindexter said. “We don’t have too many opportunities because we run the ball so well. So every time we get an opportunity, we’ve gotta win it.”
