This official word has come out that Southern California football is going to lose postseason eligibility for two years and 30 scholarships over three years.
Should USC players transfer to increase draft stock?
That also means that juniors and seniors can transfer and not have to sit out a year. Other universities are also allowed to court USC’s players.
The latter part of that is a big deal. That means nothing could, say, Rick Neuheisel of UCLA from contacting linebacker Chris Galippo and asking him to play for the Bruins.
But should USC players leave their current team to join another in hopes of becoming a more attractive pick in the NFL Draft? I think so.
If the sole purpose of college is to better prepare you for future employment, players should exercise this option and showcase themselves as much as possible.
After all, it’s not too gross of an assumption to say most USC players would prefer to play in the NFL than go into “regular” work.
Is the public relations degree that junior defensive tackle Jurrell Casey is studying for any better from USC or from UCLA? It's probably a wash. But would UCLA take one of the best defensive tackles in the nation? Absolutely.
It should also be noted that these players weren’t recruited by current USC head coach Lane Kiffin.
Most teams – particularly non-BCS ones – keep at least one scholarship open in case a star player slips through the cracks. In the case of USC, several blue chip players could slip through their NCAA-sanctioned sinkhole.
Along with Galippo and Casey, those players are wide receiver Ronald Johnson (senior), tight end Blake Ayles (junior) running backs Allen Bradford (senior) and C.J. Gable (senior), offensive tackle Tyron Smith (junior), guards Butch Lewis (senior) and Zack Heberer (senior), end Malik Jackson (junior), outside linebackers Michael Morgan (senior), Malcolm Smith (senior) and Shane Horton (junior), cornerbacks Shareece Wright (senior) and T.J. Bryant (junior).
Most non-BCS teams would love to have any of those players. What they can offer them is up to two extra games played – a conference title game and bowl game.
As we've seen in the past, most obviously with JaMarcus Russell, a bowl game can dramatically alter a player's NFL Draft stock. Considering most of these Trojans would like more than anything to be pros, they shouldn't turn down the opportunity.
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