Kristian Fulton may have been reinstated a year early, but it was deserved, according to LSU director of athletics Joe Alleva.

Speaking at Rock ‘n’ Bowl in Lafayette, La., on Tuesday, Alleva addressed how Fulton was reinstated after serving only one season of his two-year ban for cheating on a PED drug test.

Alleva said that Fulton was blood-tested 25 times during his suspension and he never failed. Alleva also praised Fulton’s maturity for the way the situation was handled.

“He learned his lesson. Believe me, he learned his lesson,” Alleva said, according to Christopher Dabe of NOLA.com.

Alleva said the two-year ban was not the right penalty for what Fulton did, and that the NCAA agreed, which led to his reinstatement earlier in fall camp.

“I’m really happy for him,” Alleva said, according to Rod Walker of The Advocate. “He’s a very popular player on our team. He learned his lesson. Handled it with dignity.”

Fulton’s reinstatement, which was effective immediately, certainly gave the Tigers a boost in their secondary.

LSU opens the season against Miami on Sunday at AT&T Stadium in Dallas at 7:30 p.m. ET.