Smelley eligible to play baseball at UA

TUSCALOOSA | Chris Smelley, a former South Carolina quarterback who transferred to the University of Alabama, has been cleared to play baseball for the Crimson Tide.

Alabama coach Jim Wells confirmed that the SEC granted a waiver for Smelley on Tuesday. Wells said he was notified by a text message and a phone call.

Smelley, an All-State football and baseball player at Tuscaloosa’s American Christian Academy, was granted a release from South Carolina on Jan. 9 and enrolled at Alabama for the spring semester. He was eligible to play baseball by NCAA standards but still needed a waiver from the SEC.

“I’m really excited about it,” said Smelley, who graduated from ACA in 2006. “I hadn’t been able to sleep the last couple of nights thinking about it, wondering if it was going to come in the way I wanted it to. Now I’m excited about being a part of the team this year.

“I knew I was good by the NCAA rule. I think it was just that the SEC had to approve it. I felt good about it.”

Smelley, 6-foot-3 and 220 pounds, has been working with the Alabama catchers.

“I’ve been a little sore back there,” Smelley said. “I’m not used to being down squatting like that. I feel like it’s coming back to me pretty quick.

“I feel like I’m turning over a new leaf. I’ve been hitting in the cage a lot and catching balls, breaking in a new mitt and getting ready to go.”

Smelley played baseball for his father, Bart Smelley, at ACA. The Patriots won AHSAA Class 1A championships in 2004, 2005 and 2006. The younger Smelley was the most valuable player in the 2005 state tournament. ACA graduate Del Howell, the MVP in the 2006 state tournament, is an outfielder with the Alabama baseball team.

“I knew 10 or 15 of the guys already,” Chris Smelley said. “I feel real comfortable in the locker room, getting to know my new teammates.”

As an ACA quarterback, Chris Smelley set AHSAA records for touchdown passes in a season (59); touchdown passes in a career (134); most passing yards in a game (565); and most passing yards in a season (4,120). He ranks second in the AHSAA with 10,385 career passing yards.

Playing for coach Steve Spurrier at South Carolina, Chris Smelley posted a 9-6 record as a starting quarterback. He played in two games in 2006 and was granted a medical redshirt. His career totals include 3,210 passing yards, 23 touchdown passes and 22 interceptions.

“It’s much too early to make any observation on him other than the fact that he’s a very good athlete,” Wells said. “Right now he’s going over individual work, but mainly we need to get him in game situations because he’s a little rusty. My guess is he’ll come along just fine.

“He’s relieved as we all are that they put the waiver through and he’s eligible to compete. That was great news. We’ve bettered our program by having him in it.”

Reach Andrew Carroll at andrew.carroll@tuscaloosanews.com or at 205-722-0223.