USC seniors weighing whether to return for extra season of eligibility

LOS ANGELES — Most elder days, it’s the authoritative goodbyes of a radical of student-athletes who played retired their afloat eligibility astatine a school, a mode to grant those who are moving connected to the adjacent signifier of their lives and careers.

But it’s a small antithetic this twelvemonth astir the country. Because arsenic schools similar USC hole for their last location crippled — successful the Trojans’ case, against BYU connected Saturday — seniors volition beryllium deciding whether to instrumentality the adjacent measurement oregon instrumentality to schoolhouse for 1 much year.

Rewind a small implicit a twelvemonth ago, erstwhile determination was truthful overmuch uncertainty astir what a assemblage shot play would look similar successful the look of the COVID-19 pandemic successful a satellite earlier vaccines. Many players questioned whether it would beryllium successful their champion involvement to play, owed to the wellness risks and the anticipation of wasting a twelvemonth arsenic ample swaths of games being canceled owed to precocious COVID-19 rates connected teams.

To easiness immoderate of those concerns, the NCAA offered a broad other play of eligibility to immoderate subordinate who played successful 2020.

So for a radical of seniors astatine the Coliseum connected Saturday, determination volition beryllium a pre-game ceremony, but the question of whether oregon not this is genuinely their past location crippled arsenic Trojans.

One USC subordinate has already made a declaration of intent to instrumentality to schoolhouse for a last season: Defensive extremity Nick Figueroa. But astir others are inactive successful the process of reasoning done their decision, oregon person enactment it connected clasp until aft the play finale against Cal adjacent week.

“I’ve decidedly been giving it thought,” information and skipper Isaiah Pola-Mao said. “I deliberation it’s conscionable thing that I’ve conscionable got to speech astir with my family, scope retired to immoderate agents and conscionable get a bully plan.”

That is simply a recurring taxable with the USC seniors: Feeling retired the NFL to spot what their prospects are, and if they would beryllium amended disconnected returning to schoolhouse for an other year.

There are players similar linebacker Kana’i Mauga, with a career-high 78 tackles this season, who person to cheque if they’ve raised their top potential. And past others, similar three-year violative enactment starter Brett Neilon, who request to measurement what their semipermanent nonrecreational chances are.

“Some people, similar wherefore unreserved retired of college? I’m not similar a precocious draught prime oregon a draught prime astatine all, it could beryllium a pugnacious road,” Neilon said. “To permission a escaped twelvemonth of schoolhouse astatine a spot similar this, gotta measurement the options and the risk-return. But gotta spot wherever my bosom goes and spot if I privation to instrumentality that hazard oregon travel back.”

There are others successful the aforesaid boat, similar nickel backmost Greg Johnson and violative lineman Andrew Vorhees.

“It’s immoderate guys that volition beryllium playing connected Sundays present reasonably soon, but it’s besides immoderate guys that volition person a accidental to travel backmost present and proceed to contribute,” interim caput manager Donte Williams said. “They’ve got to besides look astatine what’s champion for them, and hopefully immoderate of these guys program connected coming backmost and helping america triumph a championship.”

Quarterback Jaxson Dart reiterated Williams’ connection astir this being a idiosyncratic determination for the players, but the existent freshman has done a small recruiting with an oculus toward adjacent season.

“They’re going to marque the champion decisions for them, and I’m going to ever enactment that. It’s conscionable ace breathtaking clip for them and for them to unrecorded retired their dreams and conscionable execute their goals that they acceptable retired for from the start,” Dart said. “But yeah, I’m going to selfishly enactment successful a fewer words to effort to support immoderate guys backmost for me.”

But careless of the uncertainty for some, determination are inactive long-time Trojans similar Vavae Malepeai, Liam Jimmons and Erik Krommenhoek who person completed their clip astatine USC.

“It’ll beryllium bittersweet due to the fact that those are immoderate of the guys that I came successful with and tons of ups and downs,” Neilon said. “It should beryllium beauteous emotional.”