Darian Dailey was in line to start at Rutgers before his arrest in May 2015 but he has a 2nd chance elsewhere
Former Rutgers cornerback Darian Dailey, who was dismissed from the program after an arrest near his Florida home in May 2015, has restarted his career at Akron.
Dailey entered a no contest plea to a charge of accessory after the fact to robbery and was sentenced to two years of probation, 100 hours of community service and $513 in court fees in March.
Listed as a redshirt sophomore on Akron's roster, Dailey is not eligible to play this season under NCAA transfer rules, according to a team spokesperson.
It is unclear if he is on scholarship or participating as a walk-on. He joined the program on the first day of training camp (Aug. 8,) the spokesperson said.
Rutgers was the only Power Five school to offer Dailey a scholarship out of high school, though several MAC schools other than Akron were in the mix.
Though he never appeared in a game for Rutgers because he redshirted as a true freshman, Dailey was listed as a starter on the spring 2015 depth chart.
Dailey was driving a car when his passenger hopped out and stole $20 from the alleged victim, according to Dailey's attorney.
It took only a few months after his criminal case was settled for Dailey to find a new program -- and he did it without taking the junior college route that even his attorney speculated might be necessary.
A reunion with Rutgers and its new coaching staff was quickly ruled out by a person with knowledge of the situation.
Framed NFL jerseys hang at Rutgers
Dailey's quick restart is a reminder that the other Rutgers players arrested and dismissed during former coach Kyle Flood's tumultuous final offseason have eligibility remaining.
Razohnn Gross remains enrolled as a Rutgers student and has joined the Rutgers wrestling team.
Dre Boggs, Nadir Barnwell, Ruhann Peele, Delon Stephenson and Lloyd Terry have not resurfaced in college football.
Stephenson served three days in jail in July for breaking a man's jaw in a fight in April 2015.
Stephenson's guilty plea allowed Barnwell, Gross and his older brother Daryl -- whose Rutgers career ended after the 2014 season -- to enter pre-trial intervention and avoid jail time. Peele and Barnwell have expressed interest in returning to the field.
Peele is due in court on Sept. 30 because he was not eligible for PTI based on his prior record.
Ryan Dunleavy may be reached at rdunleavy@njadvancemedia.com. Follow him on Twitter @rydunleavy. Find NJ.com Rutgers Football on Facebook.