SLIPPERY ROCK — Cody Endres isn’t guaranteed a job, but he’s guaranteed an opportunity.

That was good enough for the Trinity High School graduate and former University of Connecticut quarterback to transfer to Slippery Rock University.

“I wanted a fresh start and this is the best opportunity for me,” the 6-foot-4, 232-pound Endres said. “The coach (George Mihalik) is a great person and I look forward to playing for him.”

Endres is enrolled for the current semester at SRU and has one year of eligibility remaining. He was suspended for two games before the 2010 football season at UConn for a violation of university policies.

When he failed a drug test in October, he was suspended for the remainder of the academic year.

“Cody was taking some type of prescribed stimulant for studying and it was a banned substance by the NCAA,” Mihalik said. “He made a mistake.

“He was never dismissed from school and was welcome to return to the team next year. He opted for a change.”

Mihalik said he isn’t concerned about Endres’ off-the-field issues at UConn.

“He’s a Western PA guy and we did a lot of research on this,” the coach said. “I learned a lot of things about Cody through people he knows that I know.

“I was able to get a grasp of what kind of young man he is. That put my mind at ease. We believe he’s a good kid who deserves a chance to end his college career in the correct fashion, and we’re giving that to him.”

Endres is joining a Rock team that returns all of its skilled offensive players from a 6-5 season. Only offensive linemen Brandon Fusco and Mike Tomaino are seniors this year.

Endres replaced UConn senior quarterback Zach Fraser when he returned from his first suspension this year and threw for 471 yards and five touchdowns in three games before being suspended for the season.

He wound up beating Fraser out for the starting job in 2009 as well, completing 98 of 154 passes for 1,354 yards and six touchdowns in six starts. A separated shoulder against Rutgers that required surgery ended his season Oct. 31.

Endres started 10 games over three years at UConn, throwing for 2,236 yards and 11 touchdowns. He threw for a career-high 378 yards against West Virginia during his sophomore season.

“He is a straight dropback quarterback with a strong arm. He can get the ball down the field,” Mihalik said. “The one area we can improve in offensively is the passing game, and Cody could help there.

“We don’t hand a starting position to anyone. We’ve had other transfers come here from Division I schools and not crack the starting lineup. We’ll see how it works out. He’ll have to earn it like anyone else.”

The Rock ranked 14th in the 16-team PSAC with 128.8 passing yards per game. SRU ranked last in the league in pass efficiency.

The Rock scored 33 touchdowns in 2010: 28 rushing and five passing.

Last year’s quarterback, freshman Ryan Sabo, was not told of the addition of Endres to the program before it happened.

“The students were out of school when all of this took place,” Mihalik said.

Freshmen Mike Bongivengo, who saw action at receiver last season, and Kellen O’Neill are the other quarterbacks on the SRU roster. O’Neill threw two passes in 2010.

“I feel like I can pass along some knowledge and help out the younger guys,” Endres said. “My first step here is to become a teammate. There’s a whole team I need to get to know.

“My goal is to win a PSAC championship, get to the playoffs and go after a national championship. That’s everyone’s goal here.”

Beyond that, Endres has not surrendered his dream of playing in the NFL.

“That’s still out there and it’s still within me to elevate my game to get there,” he said.