Bryce Dixon Re-Admitted to USC, But Not Football Team

Former USC tight end Bryce Dixon is no longer a former Trojan. The school announced on Thursday evening that the sophomore will be re-admitted to the university after a Los Angeles court judge called for a stay of proceedings in his student conduct case. However, the school announced he would not be reinstated to the football team.

The news came via an official statement, in which the school said: “Where there is a disciplinary finding this serious in nature, the university prohibits students from representing the university, including as a member of its athletic teams.”

Here’s the full statement via Twitter:

Here's the latest statement from @USC on Bryce Dixon: pic.twitter.com/Am6hiRzG5N
— USC Trojans (@USC_Athletics) August 14, 2015

While many believed yesterday that the legal stay would signal a return to the football team, this was always the most likely scenario based on the letter of the law.

The stay ordered the university to rewind the situation prior to Dixon’s expulsion in May. At the time, he was not participating in football activities. Therefore, the stay returned the situation exactly as it was in the spring, where the football team was left waiting for the university.

Dixon filed the lawsuit over what his lawyers termed a lack of due process. He was found to have violated USC’s student-conduct policy regarding “affirmative consent” with a female student.

However, Dixon’s suit claimed that he was given “no hearing, no right to counsel, no rules of evidence, no presumption of innocence, no right to possess copies of witness statements and evidence and no right to confront witnesses against him,” as Gary Klein of the Los Angeles Times pointed out.

For now however, he’ll get the process from the university that he original sought after.

In Dixon’s absence, the Trojans have attempted to shore up the tight end situation for 2015. Though there was just one scholarship tight end available for spring camp with Dixon gone and Randall Telfer departed for the NFL, walk-on transfer Connor Spears has emerged as a viable option at the position.

This fall the Trojans also added Oklahoma graduate transfer Taylor McNamara, who is eligible to play immediately, and four-star freshman Tyler Petite, who arrived with similar hype as Dixon with regards to potential for early playing time.

Adding walk-on Caleb Wilson, defensive line coach Chris Wison’s son, and the return of former offensive lineman Cyrus Hobbi, who gave up football for medical reasons, slimmed down and has now rejoined the team as a walk-on tight end, has also bolstered the unit.

For next year, the Trojans brought in Florida transfer Daniel Imatorbhebhe, brother of 2016 wide receiver commit Josh Imatorbhebhe. They also have a commitment from four-star tight end Cary Angeline.

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