Earl: "I'll be back"

Earl, Eschmeyer to apply for sixth year

Penn State point guard Dan Earl and Northwestern center Evan Eschmeyer have more in common than first meets the eye. Both shared an official visit to Northwestern in 1992, and now six years later both have petitioned the NCAA for a sixth year of eligibility.

-- Penn State point guard Dan Earl

Eschmeyer is a little further along than Earl. He filed his paperwork earlier this month and said at the moment he is planning on being back at Northwestern next year. The 6-foot-11 center missed his first two seasons because of injuries to his right foot.

Both are prime candidates for the sixth year of eligibility which is granted to players forced to lose two years of eligibility to injury. Lion football player Jason Collins was given a sixth season last year by the NCAA.

This is not the first time these two Big Ten players' paths have taken similar turns. The two shared an official visit to the Northwestern campus when they were high school seniors.

"He was a senior and I think it was his official visit there," Earl said. "He knew the campus better than me and he showed me around and we just hung out."

At the time Penn State had not yet entered the picture for Earl. His choices were narrowed down to Northwestern, Rutgers and Stanford. Eschmeyer, who had already committed to the Wildcats, said he was instructed to sell him on the Big Ten.

"He was going there and he was a big-name recruit," Earl said. "He wanted to build a program at Northwestern. He was saying 'the Big Ten this and Big Ten that.' Then I ended up visiting (Penn State) and going here. He teased me at Big Ten media day. He was saying, 'I sold you on the Big Ten all right.' "

Eschmeyer ended up sitting out his first two years at Northwestern with a stress fracture and then avescular necrosis (a bone and nerve condition) in his right foot. During that time, Earl was starring for the Lions.

Eschmeyer returned to the Wildcats in the 1995-96 season and became their go-to guy last season. Earl, meanwhile, began to suffer back problems that eventually led to him sitting out last year.

"We became pretty good friends," Earl said. "When I would go out there when he was a freshman I told him to keep his head up. Now he's been doing really well. He gave me words of encouragement at times when I saw him last year before games."

Getting a sixth year is a two-step process for Earl said John Coyle, Penn State's faculty representative to the NCAA and Big Ten.

The NCAA rule states that if you were physically incapacitated and could not participate for two years during your first five years in school, you can file an appeal for a sixth year.

The problem arises for Earl because he competed in five games for Penn State this season. In order to get this year back for Earl, Coyle filed a medical hardship waiver with the Big Ten a few days ago. Basically this says that if an athlete in his or her fifth year played in 20 percent or less of a team's contests in the first half of the season they can get that year back.

This should apply to Earl, who played in only five of Penn State's 26 regular season games.

"Overall, my expectation is we'll get this year back for him and he can compete in the '98-99 season," Coyle said.

Coyle expects the whole process to take about a month. Earl, who graduated in December, reached this decision after taking a little over a month contemplating his options with family and friends. Now, barring a strange ruling by the NCAA or any more knee problems, the 23-year-old Earl will be back in uniform for the Lions next season.

"If it's up to me," Earl said, "I'll be back."