Josh Imatorbhebhe announces plan to transfer from USC football

Josh Imatorbhebhe announced his intentions to transfer from USC football on Monday, becoming the fourth wide receiver to leave the program this offseason.

Transfer news comes in fours, they might say about USC football.

On Monday, wide receiver Josh Imatorbhebhe announced his decision to put his name in the NCAA transfer portal, joining Bru McCoy, Randal Grimes and Trevon Sidney in departing the program.

“What a journey it’s been. and at the end of one chapter is the beginning of the next. I’d like to thank God, my family, Coach Helton and the SC coaching staff, the Marshall School of Business and the Trojan community for their support over the last 3 years,” Imatorbhebhe tweeted.

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“After much consideration and contemplation I’ve decided to transfer from the University of Southern California and take my talents elsewhere to pursue my dreams.”

Imatorbhebhe was a four-star receiver coming out of Suwanee, Georgia in the class of 2016. He was one of five highly-touted receivers to join the Trojans that year. Though Tyler Vaughns have risen to starting roles, Imatorbhebhe and Sidney struggled to break into the lineup.

After redshirting in 2016, Imatorbhebhe saw brief action in 2017, catching two passes for 11 yards in six games. Injuries and the emergence of freshman Devon Williams limited any more chances for Imatorbhebhe to break through in 2018. He played in just one game and caught no passes.

Now, he is seeking opportunities elsewhere.

The trouble with losing Imatorbhebhe comes in the context of how many other receivers have left the Trojans already. Bru McCoy, a five-star athlete, enrolled for two weeks this January before leaving USC for Texas. Randal Grimes completed his transfer to Minnesota and Sidney recently announced his transfer decision. On top of that, former five-star receiver Joseph Lewis ran afoul of the law and is also gone.

The good news is new wide receivers coach Keary Colbert and USC have reinforcements on the way. Or they should.

Four-star two-sport star Drake London and three-star Munir McClain have already signed letters of intent while four-stars Kyle Ford and Puka Nacua are committed to sign in February. With those latter two looking around this month despite their pledges, the Trojans will need to work hard to keep them on board.

If USC wants to transition to the Air Raid, as is indicated by recent links to North Texas’ offensive coordinator Graham Harrell, they will need to keep the receiving corps well stocked.