Former Oklahoma signee now a Trojan

Josh Jarboe, a 6-foot-3, 195-pound wide receiver, was officially announced as a member of the Troy University football team Wednesday. Earlier in the day, his high school coach had told the Dothan Eagle that he was interested in going to Troy.

Jarboe was dismissed from OU after an 74-second explicit video of him rapping found its way to the internet for the viewing world to see. In March, he was arrested for carrying a gun in his high school parking lot, but he had those charges reduced to a misdemeanor, according to the Atlanta Journal-Constitution. However, OU kept Jarboe’s scholarship until the video surfaced.

“I know he has been interested in Troy,” Cedar Grove (Ga.) head coach Ray Bonner told the Dothan Eagle. “I don’t know if he’s left (for Troy) yet.”

However, after an online article was published citing Jarboe’s interest in Troy, Troy University issued a release that Jarboe was now in school at Troy and a part of the team.

“Troy University has always been interested in providing opportunities for young people to better themselves, and this is a situation where a young man who has made some mistakes is looking for a second chance,” head coach Larry Blakeney said in a statement. “I have met with Josh, and I am convinced that he is ready, and willing, to do the things we need for him to do to be a productive member of both this football team and the Troy University community.”

When reached Tuesday evening, Blakeney declined comment.

“I’m not privy to say anything at this juncture,” Blakeney said.

Bonner said Troy recruited Jarboe during the high school regular season. The four-star recruit, who was rated the No. 10 wide receiver in the nation by ESPN and rivals.com in the 2008 signing class, signed with Oklahoma over interest from numerous schools.

“He’s got friends there,” Bonner said. “He was interested in going to Troy if he could get the clearance to go.”

Bonner backed his former student, even though the latest news has Jarboe painted in a negative light.

“He’s a good kid,” Bonner said. “I don’t condone anything he’s done, but the (rap video) is the part that’s hard for me to accept.”

Attempts to reach Jarboe or his family have been unsuccessful.