According to Jeff Goodman of Fox Sports, five-star Missouri basketball recruit Tony Mitchell has yet to be cleared to play and may attend junior college with the intent of playing for the Tigers beginning with the second semester of the academic year.

Rumors have swirled for the last few months that Mitchell would not be academically eligible to play due to questions about make-up exams he took at Pinkston High School in Dallas, Texas. According to reports, Mitchell’s credit from Florida Center for Life Academy (Miami, Fla.) was not accepted by Dallas ISD, so Mitchell took—and passed—nine make-up exams in the span of two days to transfer his credit to Pinkston.

Mitchell’s grade situation did not clear up since Dallas ISD investigated Mitchell’s make-up tests, and the growing sentiment lately had been that Mitchell would not be academically eligible.

However, if Goodman’s report is correct, Mitchell could be at Missouri for the start of Big 12 play. Given Mike Anderson’s grueling pre-season conditioning regimen, though, Mitchell may not have an impact on an already-deep Missouri team in the 2010-2011 season.

When Mitchell signed with Missouri, he became the first Rivals five-star recruit to sign with the Tigers since Linas Kleiza in 2003.

The 6-foot-8, 220 pound small forward was ranked by Rivals as the No. 2 small forward and the No. 12 recruit in the nation.