by Rusty Miller
THE ASSOCIATED PRESS
COLUMBUS, Ohio -- Three of top-ranked Ohio State's top players -- including Butkus Award-winning linebacker Andy Katzenmoyer -- were declared eligible Thursday and cleared to play in the Buckeyes' game Saturday night at No. 11 West Virginia.
Also making the grade besides Katzenmoyer, a first-team All-American, were starting offensive guard Rob Murphy and starting strong safety Damon Moore. Moore is a fifth-year senior. Katzenmoyer and Murphy are both juniors.
The decision was announced less than two hours after coach John Cooper said he didn't know whether the three would be available for the team's opening game.
Katzenmoyer's backup, Chris Kirk, has hired an attorney to examine the player's legal options after he was declared ineligible earlier in the week because of a mixup involving credit hours.
A 42-word fax from the school's athletic department said it had received official notice Thursday evening from the university's compliance office that Katzenmoyer, Murphy and Moore were academically eligible.
Their grade problems have been in the spotlight for the past month while the Buckeyes went through summer drills and the three attended summer school.
Cooper said the three practiced with the team Thursday.
The players' grade problems have overshadowed academic miscalculations that have removed two key backups.
Redshirt freshman defensive tackle Paris Long was ruled ineligible last week because his credit hours had been miscalculated since he entered Ohio State in January 1997.
Kirk was declared ineligible Tuesday. His problem resulted from a Big Ten Conference rule that requires a certain number of credit hours in certified courses in a student's major. The error came to light when Kirk tried to switch majors.
Ohio State athletics director Andy Geiger said academic counselors were not to blame in either player's ineligibility.
"In both cases, if the academic records were stronger, we wouldn't be having this conversation," Geiger said.
Kirk's sister, Laura Storms, said, "Chris has done exactly what his academic counselors have told him."
She blamed them for Kirk's ineligibility and said the family had hired an attorney to look into the situation.
"If he came up short in credit hours, I can't fault Chris for that," she said. "It's their job. If he's ineligible because of that, that's sad. And we're not very happy about it."
Geiger said, "I would say that statement is highly inaccurate in regard to the situation he's in. It has nothing to do with credit hours."
One year ago, the eligibility of 57 Ohio State athletes was put in jeopardy because of a misinterpretation of a Big Ten requirement concerning credit hours.
Geiger said at the time, "We simply missed on a reading of an interpretation. ... It was missed by a bunch of people."
All of those athletes were cleared after the Big Ten's compliance committee looked into the situation.
Geiger said there is no ongoing problem in the school's academic counseling department.
"'They can't go to class for them, they can't take their tests and they can't do their work," he said. "'The counseling people can't do that."
Kirk's eligibility has been appealed to the Big Ten office and his appeal was denied. Geiger said Ohio State has filed a second appeal on Kirk's behalf.
"'It's very disappointing for Chris," Cooper said. "'I don't know what his options are. I don't know if it's over or he has an appeal or what."
Kirk's attorney, Tim Prichard, said, "'We're hoping we can work with the university and the Big Ten. This is a minor, minor violation."