Ohio State’s defense just got a big boost.

USC transfer linebacker Palaie Gaoteote is eligible immediately, the NCAA ruled on Friday.

https://twitter.com/brdispatch/status/1436440120975048704

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The news comes just one day after the Buckeyes thought his waiver for eligibility had been denied by the NCAA.

Gaoteote had been dealing with eligibility issues since transferring to Ohio State and had been paying his own way through classes since June. Despite not being eligible for games, he was able to practice with the Buckeyes.

Gaoteote started 14 games at USC over 3 years, totaling 105 tackles and 2 sacks over that span. The former 5-star recruit only played in 2 games for the Trojans in 2020 and went into the transfer portal in December.

It’s unclear what Gaoteote’s status is for Ohio State’s game against Oregon this weekend, but Buckeye fans can expect to see him in red and white at some point after Friday’s ruling.

Ohio State and Oregon kick off at 12 p.m. ET on Saturday.