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Byron Moore Jr. Decides to Leave USC; Headed to L.A. Harbor College

Another day, another player lost.  It was announced today that Byron left the program and enrolled at L.A. Harbor college.  It's not clear why he left the program but usually situations like this involve either 1) academics or 2) personal issues; if Byron didn't like the coaches or SC he would have transferred to another school.

I wish Byron the best.  I always thought he was a kid that could flourish at SC given a few breaks.  He had a nice feel for the game and I thought he'd eventually settle down as a Free Safety.

In terms of where it leaves us, Byron's departure really doesn't impact the team next season since Jawanza Starling was the clear starter at FS.  From a depth standpoint, the loss will likely be offset by Patrick Hall who the coaches are starting off at RB but I'm also certain will end up elsewhere (personally I think he's best suited for FS).

Byron Moore Decommits from USC; Considering Notre Dame and LSU

From WeAreSC.com:

"Yeah, I went ahead and decommitted today," said Moore. "I just felt USC wasn't the place I wanted to be and I want to look at some other options out of state. Right now it's pretty much Notre dame and LSU, with Notre Dame in the lead. I'll probably take a trip down to LSU next week.

Strange considering he once labeled USC as his "dream school".  I'm definitely disappointed because I think Byron is a solid player, but it's not a big loss since Safety isn't a position of pressing need.  We'll have Taylor Mays and Will Harris/Josh Pinkard starting next year with Marshall Jones and Drew McAllister providing depth.  Then you have two excellent incoming freshmen in Patrick Hall and T.J. McDonald. 

Coach Carroll just recently had a in-home visit with Frankie Telfort who is listed at OLB, but will likely play SS at the next level; ESPN's Tom Luginbill has compared him to Sean Spence from Miami, which is very high praise.  I really like what I've seen of him; plays smart and has great closing speed.  Apparently it's down to us and Florida. 

Another Safety being mentioned lately is Jawanza Starling from Lincoln HS in Florida.  The school might look familiar due to the buzz created last year when T.J. Bryant signed with SC.  Lincoln is a pipeline to Florida State much like Long Beach Poly and Mater Dei to USC.  I haven't seen much of Starling, but it's hard to go wrong with defensive backs from Lincoln (see Antonio Cromartie, Pat Watkins).  Not getting my hopes up on this one considering the limited # of scholarships available and Jawanza having a cousin that plays CB at Georgia.