USC Injury Report: Jonathan Lockett To Undergo Season-Ending Surgery (12/13)

Cornerback Jonathan Lockett will undergo season-ending surgery on Friday. Here’s more from the USC injury report from the first practice of Rose Bowl prep.

USC started their preparations for the Rose Bowl on Tuesday, practicing at Howard Jones Field with a relatively light injury list.

The big news on the injury front revolves around junior cornerback Jonathan Lockett, who is set to undergo season-ending surgery on Friday to fix the hip problem which has plagued him in the latter half of the season.

“Today was basically his last practice, we’ll go ahead and shut him down,” head coach Clay Helton said Tuesday. “He’ll have a season-ending surgery that will hopefully get him ready for next year.”

Lockett started five games for USC as a nickel cornerback, logging 17 tackles and an interceptions, before being injured and sitting out games against Oregon, Washington and UCLA. Though he returned for brief action against Notre Dame, the injury will claim his chance to play in the Rose Bowl.

USC Injury Report:

• Out for the season: DT Kenny Bigelow (knee), CB Jonathan Lockett, C Toa Lobendahn (knee), WR Steven Mitchell (knee)
• Out: DL Noah Jefferson (transfer), RB Vavae Malepeai (shoulder/redshirt), OLB Jabari Ruffin (suspension)
• Questionable: C Khaliel Rodgers (concussion), OT Nathan Smith (knee)
• Probable: QB Sam Darnold (hip), TE Daniel Imatorbhebhe (hamstring, WR JuJu Smith-Schuster (wrist)

Besides Lockett, USC’s injury concerns are limited to a pair of offensive linemen — Khaliel Rodgers and Nathan Smith.

Rodgers sat out Tuesday’s practice as he goes through concussion protocol. His absence had guard Chris Brown slide over to center to take snaps along with starting center Nico Falah.

Meanwhile, Smith, the freshman tackle, injured his knee during practice but the Trojans do not yet know how significant that injury is.

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There are a number of Trojans who suffered what Helton termed “bumps and brusies over the last four workouts,” including quarterback Sam Darnold, tight end Daniel Imatorbhebhe and receiver JuJu Smith-Schuster.

Darnold is dealing with a hip flexor, Imatorbhebhe has a problem with his hamstring and Smith-Schuster has a slight wrist sprain.

Helton indicated that none of those injuries are considered serious enough to limit the trio in practice.

Finally, center Toa Lobendahn will certainly miss the Rose Bowl after his season was ended by an ACL tear against Alabama. However, the junior was back out on Howard Jones Field snapping for the quarterbacks during passing drills.