TrojanNYC.com

Luthur Brown Regains Eligibility; Likely to Play on Saturday

From LATimes.com:

USC linebacker Luthur Brown, whose career has been plagued by injury and academic issues, has been reinstated for this season, the school announced.

Brown, a fifth-year senior from Lakewood, is expected to provide needed depth for a linebacking corps that saw four players from last season's dominant defense depart for the NFL.

Great news.  Luthur will add much needed depth at the middle LB spot behind Chris Galippo.  Chris sat out of Thursday's practice with a swollen elbow, but is expected to start on Saturday.

Shareece Wright Ruled Academically Ineligible for 2009/2010 Season

From LATimes.com:

"Shareece didn't get it done," Coach Pete Carroll said in a statement. "He didn't get the GPA he needed to get."

Wright, a redshirt junior, sat out last season with a neck injury. He had been projected as a starter. That job will now go to Josh Pinkard, who will move over from safety.

Very disappointing news.  Shareece, who sat out most of last season with a neck injury, was poised to have a big season.  He's been our best overall corner (perfect compliment to Kevin Thomas who's more of a straight cover corner) in his ability to play tough in bump-and-run and make plays in the flats.

Shareece's academic troubles go as far back as his days at Colton HS.  During his recruitment, the coaches slow played his offer because there were questions about whether he would qualify academically. Disappointing to see his academic troubles resurrect in what many expected to be his breakout year.

If there is a silver lining here, Shareece will likely (although it's no lock) come back for his final year at SC. It would make sense since his stock will inevitably drop and the questions of whether his neck injury can withstand a season of football will linger.

From a depth standpoint, thankfully, the defensive backfield is the deepest squad on the team; an area where we go a legit 3-deep.  The starting line-up will be Kevin Thomas who'll remain the main cover guy, Josh Pinkard will move to the opposite CB spot from FS, Will Harris will play SS, and Taylor Mays will move back to his original position at FS.

In reserves, you got T.J. Bryant who can step into the starting spot immediately, Marshall Jones and Brian Baucham who are also game-ready, and the freshmen duo of Torin Harris and Byron Moore Jr. who exceeded all expectations during Fall camp.

This group is still tops in the Pac-10, but nationally, you have to give the full nod to Florida now with Janoris and Joe Haden as better cover guys and Will Hill and Major Wright as equally impressive as a group compared to Taylor and Will.

Joe McKnight to Miss Rest of Spring

From USCRipsIt.com:

Tailback Joe McKnight has missed USC’s last two practices and will now be out for the rest of the spring after he dropped out of a class this week, putting him below the minimum number of academic units required by the NCAA to participate in team-related activities.

Bad news, but Joe will have summer school to make up the units.  All that matters is that he's on the field when we play Virginia. 

Mayo Violates NCAA Rule; Remains Eligible for Oregon

From ESPN.com:

Southern California freshman O.J. Mayo violated an NCAA rule by accepting free tickets from Denver Nuggets forward Carmelo Anthony to an NBA game, but his punishment won't include missing games.

University officials said Friday they have been informed by the NCAA that Mayo committed a violation and must contribute $460 -- the total value of the two tickets -- to a charitable organization. USC said in a release the NCAA restored Mayo's eligibility after he and his family donated the money, making him available for Saturday's game against Oregon.

"I'm glad this is over with now," Mayo said in a statement. "It was an eye-opening process. I have tried to be very careful when any potential NCAA issues are involved ever since I arrived at USC."

Still think it's a stupid rule, but glad it's over.

Vincent Joseph Off Team

From Scottie Wolf:

USC players Vincent Joseph and Alfred Rowe were academically disqualified following the completion of the fall semester and are no longer enrolled in school, according to sources.

Joseph, a cornerback, and Rowe, a fullback, are sophomores and were also teammates at Poly High. They were eligible for the Rose Bowl because grades were not officially posted at that time.

Too bad cause both players were solid contributors on special teams.  Best of luck to both of them; hopefully they can work hard and get readmitted.

Edit:  Alfred Rowe took care of his academic issues and is enrolled in school. 

Michael Coleman Wants to Rejoin the Team

From DailyNews.com:

It might be just a dream, but former USC tailback Michael Coleman wants to return to the Trojans next season.

Coleman, who transferred last May, is enrolled at Riverside Community College. He left USC with some academic issues and would need to improve his grades to even be considered for re-admission.

"He wants to come back to USC and play," said former USC wide receiver R. Jay Soward, who coaches at Coleman's alma mater, Arroyo Valley High of San Bernardino.

If Coleman returned, there would be less competition because several players he competed against (Chauncey Washington, Hershel Dennis, Desmond Reed, Emmanuel Moody) will not be on the roster next season.

Michael needs to move on.  If he didn't want to compete then, he won't be able to compete now with a slew of talented young running backs ahead of him on the depth chart.  On a side note, good to hear that R. Jay is coaching. 

Angelo Johnson Cleared to Play '07-'08 Basketball Season

From FoxSports.com:

The Trojans found out freshman point guard Angelo Johnson, a tough 5-foot-10 Minnesota native who spent last season at Stoneridge Prep (Calif.), was cleared by the NCAA on Friday.

Johnson, 19, had been re-classified into the Class of 2008. However, with the recent rule changes by the NCAA to get rid of the "diploma mills," Johnson took classes this summer and qualified as an incoming freshman.

"We're thrilled with the NCAA's decision to have Angelo on our team this season," said USC assistant Gib Arnold, who was the one responsible for recruiting Johnson. "We didn't see anyone quicker with the ball all year than Angelo."

Literally last minute decision by the NCAA.  Having Angelo this season will be huge in terms of relieving pressure off of O.J. at the PG spot and allowing Hackett more time at the 2/3 which I feel is his more natural position.  It is also big news because we now have a speedy PG that can keep up with players like Darren Collison, Tajuan Porter, etc.

Quick Update: Broderick Green Cleared by NCAA

From LATimes.com:

The NCAA Clearinghouse certified the eligibility of USC tailback Broderick Green today, providing the top-ranked Trojans with some much-needed depth going into next week's season opener against Idaho.

Green, a freshman from Little Rock, Ark., missed the first few days of training camp because of Clearinghouse issues but was allowed to practice for 14 days while his academic records were reviewed. He missed Wednesday's scrimmage and Thursday's practice because the grace period had expired.

Funny how we're talking about depth issues at the RB position...

Quick Update: Brandon Carswell Cleared

From Scott Wolf's blog:

Freshman wide receiver Brandon Carswell was certified by the NCAA Clearinghouse on Tuesday, leaving only tailback Broderick Green as the lone player without clearinghouse approval. If Green is not approved by Thursday, USC will drop his classes in order to avoid losing a year of eligibility in case he does not receive NCAA approval.

Always good to hear.

Davon Jefferson Cleared

Great news for the basketball team:

Davon Jefferson, watching from the stands at the L.A. Stars Celebrity All-Star Basketball Game at Galen Center on Sunday night, said he got word Thursday from the NCAA Clearinghouse that he will be eligible to play for USC in the fall.

``It's a relief,'' Jefferson said. ``They make you wait forever.''

The former Lynwood High player is USC's top incoming freshman after O.J. Mayo. He could start for the Trojans at forward. Jefferson has been taking two classes at USC in summer school: Geography and Race, Class and Gender in American Film. Mayo is in the same classes.

Absolutely huge.  With Davon, we now have two athletic big men that can face up and take their defender off the dribble.  No question in my mind we have the most athletic frontcourt in the Pac-10.  When you couple that with a shooter like O.J. Mayo who can play catch all day with Taj or Davon, we're in a very good position.