Titans’ Yarbrough Gets Academic Clearance, Joins Team

Running back Reggie Yarbrough joined the Cal State Fullerton football team for practice Thursday after missing the first four days of drills while he awaited academic clearance, Titan Coach Gene Murphy said.

The addition of Yarbrough, a senior who rushed for 1,014 yards and 10 touchdowns last season, eases the impact of reserve running back Danny Pasquil’s knee injury, which will sideline him for three weeks to a month.

Pasquil, the only other Fullerton running back with Division I experience, sprained the medial collateral ligament in his right knee Wednesday. Initially, Fullerton trainers thought Pasquil would miss six to eight weeks, but that prognosis was changed after Pasquil visited team doctor Joseph Cummings on Thursday.

Pasquil, a sophomore who made the team as a walk-on last season but earned a scholarship this season, will miss the Aug. 31 season opener against Mississippi State, but he could return for the Sept. 7 game at Texas Tech.

“We need Danny,” Murphy said. “He’s a big part of the offense and special teams. We have to get him back.”

Murphy said about six other players are awaiting word on whether they’ll be academically eligible for the season. Inside linebacker Lorenzo Hailey, the team’s leading tackler last season, is eligible, but Murphy said Hailey will redshirt this season to concentrate on school.