Less than a week before spring practice begins, USC still isn't sure which of its returning players will participate. Sources tell me a team meeting was held Thursday morning in the wake of three players approaching the staff and saying they want to quit the team.
The trio's apparent frustration was exacerbated by where they stood on the recently posted pre-spring depth chart. Two of the players were on the defensive side of the ball. (I am not going to disclose names unless it is confirmed that they indeed have left the team.)
The Trojans dealt with depth chart drama last year, with defensive backs Ykili Ross and Je'Quari Godfrey quitting the team in August as rotations were being set just before the season opener. USC did not put out its customary spring depth chart in 2018, even for the players, because of injuries at certain positions and the QB situation undecided. That lack of transparency ultimately caught some players off guard when the first depth chart was revealed after training camp, as a handful of players initially weighed leaving the program.
USC now finds itself in a similar dilemma before the preseason has even begun in earnest.
The trio's apparent frustration was exacerbated by where they stood on the recently posted pre-spring depth chart. Two of the players were on the defensive side of the ball. (I am not going to disclose names unless it is confirmed that they indeed have left the team.)
The Trojans dealt with depth chart drama last year, with defensive backs Ykili Ross and Je'Quari Godfrey quitting the team in August as rotations were being set just before the season opener. USC did not put out its customary spring depth chart in 2018, even for the players, because of injuries at certain positions and the QB situation undecided. That lack of transparency ultimately caught some players off guard when the first depth chart was revealed after training camp, as a handful of players initially weighed leaving the program.
USC now finds itself in a similar dilemma before the preseason has even begun in earnest.
