Rodney Purvis was cleared to play for N.C. State this season.

Purvis was originally ruled ineligible because his class was the first to graduate from Raleigh’s Upper Room Christian Academy.

“I felt from the beginning that the right thing was for him to play because I know all the facts of the school and the courses he took,” Gottfried added. “The truth of the matter, he’s a really bright student. It’s unfortunate he was even in a situation where anything was questioned.”

Carrie Doyle, associate athletics director for compliance, processed Purvis’ appeal with the NCAA.

“I’ve never been involved in a circumstance like this where it’s a brand new high school and the brand new high school has never had any of their courses reviewed by the (NCAA) eligibility center to determine if they’re core courses,” said Doyle, who was an NCAA employee from 1987-1999 and a compliance director at New Hampshire for six-plus years.