USC football transfers: Where are they now going into 2019?

USC football has seen a high volume of transfers out of the program in recent years. Where have all those former players landed?

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If you have had a hard time keeping track of all of USC football’s recent transfers, you’re not alone.

The Trojans have had more than their fair share of players depart, some still waiting to find a new home, others enjoying life on the other side and still others with the jury still very much out.

Here’s review of where each of USC’s recent transfers have landed:

Cary Angeline → NC State

Angeline left USC during the first month of the 2017 season, citing homesickness and lack of playing time. He landed at NC State and was able to play in 2018, though he had to miss the first three games of the season to complete a full year of sitting out to fulfill NCAA transfer rules.

In the remaining 10 games, Angeline caught nine passes for 169 yards and one touchdown. A snap breakdown from Backing the Pack reveals the transfer had the second-most snaps among Wolfpack tight ends, though he “never quite lived up to the hype.” There is time for him though, with two years of eligibility remaining.

Oluwole Betiku → TBD

Betiku announced his decision to transfer from USC on January 7, so it’s too early to know exactly where he will land. When he picked USC, he had been a former UCLA commit and also considered Texas A&M, Florida State and Notre Dame.

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Kenny Bigelow → West Virginia

Bigelow originally retired from football in 2017, but came out of retirement to graduate transfer to West Virginia. With the Mountaineers, Bigelow found a home quickly as their starting nose tackle. He posted 20 tackles, 4.5 tackles for loss, two sacks, a forced fumble and a blocked kick in a productive final season in college as West Virginia went 8-4.

Bubba Bolden → Miami

Bolden faced a lengthy suspension from USC’s student disciplinary panel and opted to transfer rather than hoping for a reversal of his penalty in light of new standards for student conduct investigations. Miami is his destination of choice and the safety should be eligible to play in 2019 having sat out all of the 2018 season.

Jamel Cook → South Carolina

Cook transferred to ~~the other USC~~ South Carolina last spring and spent his season sitting out before his eligibility kicks in this year on the Gamecock scout team. UofSC plans to deploy him as cornerback, according to The State, and he is poised to battle for a starting job during the offseason.

Je’Quari Godfrey → TBD

Godfrey announced his intention to transfer before the start of the 2018 season, but there has been no news as to the cornerback’s landing spot.

Jalen Greene → Utah State

Having lost his starting job to Tyler Vaughns, Greene left USC for Utah State in search of playing time in his senior season. Playing time he received and he delivered with productivity. Greene was second among all Aggies with 689 yards and six touchdowns on 44 receptions, helping Utah State post an 11-2 record.

Randal Grimes → Minnesota

Grimes announced his decision to transfer to Minnesota over the weekend. He had two catches for 17 yards as a true freshman, but participated in just three games in 2018 after missing Spring Camp to take care of academics. He will have to sit out the 2019 season.

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Roy Hemsley → ASU

Hemsley transferred to ASU over the summer and was a member of the Sun Devil rotation in his first year in Tempe. He started twice, once at right and once at left guard. The Sun Devils made him captain for the USC game, which ASU won at the Coliseum. He’ll be back for his redshirt senior season in 2019.

Noah Jefferson → FAU

Jefferson spent the 2017 season at Arizona Western in the junior college ranks, then transferred to FAU three weeks into the 2018 season. He saw limited action in six games for the Owls, with his best performance as a defensive lineman coming with five tackles in the final game of the season against Charlotte. He has one more season of eligibility available.

Levi Jones → NC State

Jones was dismissed from USC’s roster because of a violation of team rules just as it seemed his opportunities at linebacker could increase. His career will continue with Angeline’s at NC State, though he will have to sit out most of the 2019 season. Since a redshirt year is available, he will have two years of eligibility beyond 2019.

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E.J. Price → Kentucky

Price transferred to Kentucky after redshirting in 2016 at USC. He waited out NCAA transfer rules in 2017 and then emerged as a starter for the Wildcats as a redshirt sophomore in 2018. Playing in all 13 games, he started 11 times at left tackle after presumptive starter Landon Young suffered a season-ending knee injury before the season. When Young returns healthy, Price is expected to compete for the starting job at right tackle, per the Louisville Courier Journal.

Ykili Ross → TBD

Ross left USC under less-than-ideal circumstances in August, apparently peeved over being wally-pipped by Bubba Bolden, only for Bolden to be suspended. Despite the reopening of the starting safety job, and subsequent depth crisis at the position, Ross stuck to his intention to leave the Trojans as a graduate transfer. Where he will go is still undetermined.

Kevin Scott → Texas A&M-Kingsville

Scott landed at Arizona Western and planned to transfer to Nevada, but the defensive lineman “did not meet all requirements to join,” according to Nevada Sports Net. He ultimately landed on the roster at Texas A&M-Kingsville, a Division II program, where he participated in two games in 2018.

Lamont Simmons → Georgia Tech

It’s been quite awhile since Simmons left USC for Georgia Tech, but his career finally finished up as a redshirt senior cornerback in 2018. Simmons started seven games for the Yellow Jackets while playing in all 13 games. He had 29 tackles, one tackle for loss, one pass break up and an interception in what was a productive final year.

Ricky Town → Pitt

Town may have played his last down of college football after serving as a back up quarterback and playing in three games for Pitt in 2018. He left the Panthers before the Sun Bowl to help his family back in California as they deal with the impact of recent wildfires. Despite having one more season of eligibility available, he is due to graduate and doesn’t plan to transfer to play elsewere, according to the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette. Thus ends a career which started at USC, and went through Arkansas, Ventura College and finally Pitt.

Caleb Wilson → UCLA

Wilson, the son of former Trojan defensive line coach Chris Wilson, left USC as a walk-on to take a scholarship spot at UCLA in 2016 and he’s had great success since. He broke out in 2017 with 38 receptions and 490 yards in just five games before suffering a season-ending injury. Returning healthy in 2018, he led the Bruins with 60 catches for 965 yards and four touchdowns. He declared for the NFL Draft. Matt Miller of Bleacher Report ranks him fourth among tight ends on the board.

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