TrojanNYC.com

Transfer: Jarvis Jones Asks and Receives Release from USC

From OCRegister.com:

Jones missed the final five games of his freshman season and all of spring practice because of a neck injury that Trojans coach Lane Kiffin described as career-threatening.

Jones never received clearance to practice. The fact that he has elected to transfer suggests a disagreement between him and USC’s medical staff over the severity of the injury.

Jones told Rivals.com that a specialist and other outside doctors cleared him to play but USC’s doctors wouldn’t, so he had to “find a place I can play.” USC’s medical staff typically errs on the side of caution when it comes to career- or life-threatening injuries.

I can definitely understand both sides.  Wish Jarvis the best of luck.  He definitely showed his talent his freshman year and has the potential to be a great player wherever he goes.

NFL: Kevin Thomas Likely to Miss Rookie Season Due to Knee Injury

Tough luck for Kevin.  

Injury Update: Christian Tupou Suffers Knee Injury - Out for 2010 Season

Christian suffered a ligament tear in his left knee during the scrimmage on Saturday. He's expected to sit out for the 2010 season to rehab after surgery.

Thankfully Christian has a redshirt year available so he'll be back next season. As tough as it is to lose your starting NT, we are deep at the position with Hebron Fangupo (looked great last year) and DaJohn Harris (biggest surprise of Spring practices) so there shouldn't be much of a drop off.

ESPN Video: Stafon Johnson Ready to Get Back on the Field

Great video.

NFL Draft: Stafon Johnson Senior Bowl Interview

DraftNasty.com has a video interview with Stafon Johnson at Senior Bowl.  Good to see Stafon motivated and in high spirits again.

Injuries: Josh Pinkard Has Torn ACL Again (x2); Will Miss Emerald Bowl

Terrible news for Pink who flirted with the NFL draft last season but decided to come back to shift from the corner spot to his natural position of Free Safety in hopes of improving his draft stock.  The shift never happened due to Shareece Wright being ruled academically ineligible at the start of the season, which kept Josh at corner.

Josh has already had 2 torn ACL injuries at SC, the 1st against Arkansas in '06 in the season opener and the 2nd during '07 Fall camp after a year of rehabbing. This latest one will likely be a major setback for Pink's pro career since it will raise automatic red flags with teams.

To add insult-to-injury, the injury occurred on the last passing play of the last regular season game and Pink, who was playing press man coverage, got beat for the game-winning TD.  The man has no luck.

Wish him the best.  Hope he keeps strong and works his way to the league.

Recruiting: D.J. Morgan Suffers Torn ACL Injury in Playoff Game

 

From LATimes.com:

Morgan was injured Thursday night during Taft's City Section Division I first-round playoff victory over Garfield. He had an MRI exam Friday night, but it wasn't until today that he received a definitive answer about the ACL injury. Kerstetter did not know if Morgan would be able to return for track season in the spring.

Morgan is the No. 1 hurdler in the world for his age group at 110 meters. This summer in Italy, he won the 110 hurdles at the World Youth Championships. This spring, he won the state championship in the same event. He also has rushed for nearly 4,800 yards in his four-year football career at Taft.

Tough break for D.J.

Video: Ronald Johnson's Catch Against Oregon State #1 Play on ESPN's Saturday's Ten Best

Great catch and rebound from a tough game against Notre Dame.  There were reports about RoJo being visibly upset after the ND win, which some took as being selfish and others as competitiveness.  He was completely off-sync with Matt in that game, which was no surprise since it was his 1st game of the season, so it makes it all that more important that he bounced back strong against Oregon State with 6 catches for 99 yards and 1 TD.  With Anthony McCoy likely out for Saturday against Oregon, we need RoJo to step up big.

ESPN Video: Stafon Johnson Leaves Hospital in Good Spirits

Stafon writes down a classic line at the end for his mom to relay to the press/fans: "Fight On, Beat the Irish". Gotta love Stafon.

Photo of the Day: "STA FIGHT ON"

Photo from Official Blog

A sticker supporting Stafon Johnson will be put on each helmet for Saturday's game against Notre Dame. Stafon will likely be able to enjoy the game from his home as he's expected to be released from the hospital on Wednesday.