Kristian Fulton should be one of LSU’s most experienced and talented defensive backs returning to the field in 2018, instead, the Louisiana native is scheduled to serve his second season of an NCAA suspension.

Rated as a five-star recruit in the 2016 recruiting cycle, Fulton was the nation’s No. 3 cornerback recruit and the No. 1 overall prospect from Louisiana. He saw action in three games as a true freshman in 2016 but did not see the field last season. According to Ross Dellenger of The Advocate, if things don’t change, Fulton won’t see the field in 2018, either.

Fulton’s absence from the lineup had been unexplained until now but according to Dellenger, Fulton’s attorney claims the NCAA has issued a two-year suspension for the defensive back for submitting a fraudulent testing sample. The NCAA can issue a year’s suspension for such a violation and Fulton was also tagged with a year’s suspension for not providing a sample — as the sample he provided was ruled ineligible, that acts as a failure to provide.

Fulton is in the process of appealing the second year of his suspension.

This seems like a cruel and lengthy punishment for such an alleged violation. Considering LSU missed out on Patrick Surtain Jr. during the previous recruiting cycle, getting Fulton back in the lineup could potentially make up for the whole on the roster that having neither player currently puts on the Tigers’ depth chart.

You can read about Fulton’s case and his full appeal here.