5-Star NCAA Football Prospect Abruptly Ditches USC for Texas - Report
Bru McCoy caused quite the brouhaha in Los Angeles this past week.
The five-star recruit and early entry commit to USC reportedly is leaving the Trojans behind for the burnt orange of the Texas Longhorns.
Mere weeks after McCoy enrolled at the university, news broke that Kliff Kingsbury, his would-be head coach, had ditched town for the browner desert pastures of the Arizona Cardinals.
McCoy put his name into the NCAA’s new transfer portal Thursday.
Story from @ChrisNTrevino on #USC five-star enrollee Bru McCoy entering the NCAA transfer portal, looking to transfer out of the program. https://t.co/lNC2gdQA0T pic.twitter.com/yqUubpUKfr
— Ryan Abraham (@insidetroy) January 24, 2019
A day later, he signed a financial aid agreement with Texas, according to 247 Sports — a good indication he’s ready to hook ’em with the Horns.
McCoy was the MaxPreps National Football Player of the Year after an outstanding season at Mater Dei High School in Santa Ana, California.
It’s not unusual for high-profile athletes, when the coaches who recruited them ditch town or get run out on a rail by the NCAA, to seek transfer options. If what sold them on the program wasn’t the name of the team or the location of campus, there’s no sentimental attachment keeping them there when the coach they wanted to play for isn’t the coach anymore.
Texas won the renewed recruiting battle for the recruit, marked as an “Athlete” in the scouting report for those positionless wonders who can do everything on the field. 247 Sports reports that McCoy will slot in as a wide receiver.
Tennessee was in the running, in part because of the presence of Tee Martin, the former Volunteers quarterback who was on the same staff with Kingsbury at USC, but McCoy ultimately opted for a program known for a certain other guy who shares Bru’s last name, Colt McCoy.
Texas has added a major piece to the #Longhorns future in landing five-star Bru McCoy, who will transfer from #USC. https://t.co/bFvGVB4GvF pic.twitter.com/HjaO4Vvlt7
— Taylor Estes (@Taylor_Estes_) January 25, 2019
Granted, this is a much more unusual situation than normal, because Kingsbury wasn’t the Trojans’ head coach; he’d taken the job as offensive coordinator after Texas Tech punted him out of town last year.
In switching schools after making a commitment, McCoy will have to sit out a season of eligibility under the NCAA’s transfer rules.
But he is likely to petition for a waiver on grounds that the situation he’s being given isn’t the one he committed too, the commitment therefore null and void.
Players who have graduated can transfer and play right away.
That’s the case with several high-profile moves in recent weeks, including Jalen Hurts’ decision to leave Alabama for Oklahoma.
Others, like McCoy and former Ohio State quarterback Tate Martell, who transferred to Miami, must appeal to the NCAA for the opportunity to play next season.
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