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USC linebacker Raesjon Davis reacts after a defensive stop last season. (Gina Ferazzi / Los Angeles Times)
When Raesjon Davis arrived in 2021, during the last gasps of the Clay Helton era at USC, the four-star linebacker from Santa Ana Mater Dei looked like he could make an immediate impact at a position where USC desperately needed it.
Those stars never quite aligned. But as other members of that last Helton class would depart in droves — 14 of 23 ended up transferring — Davis continued to bide his time, bouncing from one linebacker coach, one defensive coordinator to another … and another, hoping it would be different.
As a senior this season, Davis still wasn’t making the impact he hoped. So this week, he met with Lincoln Riley to discuss sitting out the rest of the season, in hopes that he’d preserve his final season of eligibility and play as a redshirt senior.
Davis’ father, Rashad, confirmed to The Times that his hope is not to enter the transfer portal, but to continue practicing this season and return to USC next season. Whether that’s how it will happen remains to be seen.
Davis is the second Trojans defender to declare his intent to redshirt this season. Last week, former All-Pac-12 defensive tackle Bear Alexander opted to sit out the rest of the season because of a dispute over his role.
Read more: USC tackle Bear Alexander is redshirting after dispute over playing time
The two situations yielded totally different responses from Riley, who refused to take questions on Alexander last week. On Tuesday, he said that USC had “said all we’ll say on [Alexander’s] situation.” But in Davis’ case, the coach said he “can understand both sides” of his decision. Davis had played just nine snaps on defense over four games this season.
“You understand the push-pull,” Riley said. “I mean, the…
Source link : https://sports.yahoo.com/usc-linebacker-raesjon-davis-redshirt-021900207.html
Author : LA Times
Publish date : 2024-10-02 02:19:00
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