What does Bru McCoy’s expected return mean for USC football?

Bru McCoy has officially declared his decision to transfer from Texas. With his return to USC football apparently imminent, what does it mean for the Trojans?

USC football’s shaky start to the 2019 calendar year sure has found a way to settle out in favorable fashion, all things considered.

When the Trojans were brought low by the departure of newly-hired offensive coordinator Kliff Kingsbury and the transfer of highly-touted wide receiver Bru McCoy, who had just enrolled at USC, things looked pretty bleak.

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Since then, USC managed to salvage the positive vibes around the offensive coordinator position by landing North Texas’ Air Raid disciple Graham Harrell.

And now the Trojans have even found a way to ease the burn of McCoy leaving. After a semester in Texas, the Mater Dei product officially declared his decision to transfer away from the Longhorns on Friday afternoon with the apparent intent of re-enrolling at USC.

Unfortunately, the road taken to the happy ending for the Trojans and McCoy does have its consequences. While he was expected to have an instant impact as a freshman pass catcher, it seems likely he will now have to sit out his first year to comply with NCAA transfer policy.

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That means USC won’t have him available to bolster what is a wide receiving corps with very limited depth for 2019.

Fortunately for the Trojans, they do have strength in that position. Between starters Michael Pittman, Tyler Vaughns and Amon-Ra St. Brown, receivers coach Keary Colbert has pure quality to work with. Behind them, there are young talents who will be asked to step up and perform, including Devon Williams and a handful of freshmen in Kyle Ford, Drake London, John Jackson III and Munir McClain.

The real advantage for USC begins in 2020, when McCoy will be eligible just in time to fill the void left by the graduation of Pittman. That gap could be even bigger if Vaughns opts to forgo his redshirt senior season in favor of the NFL.

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A receiving corps pairing St. Brown and McCoy, along with the likes of Williams and Ford, would still be a formidable thing. Certainly stronger than if McCoy were in Austin still wearing brunt orange.

The former Mater Dei teammates will ensure the Trojans have more than their share of five-star athletes terrorizing opposing defenses in the coming years.

It’s just a shame McCoy’s window for racking up receptions and touchdowns in cardinal and gold may be limited to just two seasons, as he will be eligible to depart for the NFL after the 2021 season.

The NFL question is, of course, one for the future.

In the meantime, USC can celebrate the fact that one of the more embarrassing sagas from January has come to a far more positive end with June literally around the corner.