Leaving Alabama in the middle of the season looks to have paid off for former five-star quarterback recruit Blake Barnett.

Before the calendar even hit October last season, Barnett ditched the Tide in order to enroll junior college. While it may have appeared to make little sense at the time, leaving Alabama early allowed Barnett to continue his education in order to transfer and play immediately in 2017.

Head coach Nick Saban was clearly not pleased with Barnett’s decision at the time it was made.

However, despite Saban’s objections, Barnett’s decision appears to have paid off for him and his new Arizona State team for 2017, according to a Tuesday tweet the quarterback sent out.

It was believed Barnett would likely have to miss at least the first four games of next season after participating in four games with the Tide in 2016, however, Matt Zenitz of AL.com is reporting the NCAA has allowed Barnett a waiver at Arizona State – making him eligible immediately.

In an odd twist of fate, Barnett’s new offensive coordinator in Tempe will be former Alabama wide receivers coach Billy Napier.

With Barnett exposing a crack in the transfer rule, it begs the question if other players will follow suit in the upcoming season.