USC says it is not standing in the way of former wide receiver Bru McCoy‘s quest to become eligible for the 2022 season at Tennessee.
In a statement released Sunday, USC said it has promptly responded to every request from Tennessee related to McCoy’s eligibility. McCoy, an ESPN top-30 recruit in 2019, entered the transfer portal in January, committed to Tennessee in May and has been practicing with the team as he awaits an eligibility decision from the NCAA.
“At no point since Bru entered the transfer portal in January have we objected to him being made immediately eligible at Tennessee,” USC’s statement reads. “The issue of Bru’s eligibility ultimately rests with the NCAA, and we wish him the very best.”
Tennessee coach Josh Heupel on Friday said the school’s administration “has done everything that they possibly can” to resolve McCoy’s situation. USC’s willingness to cooperate had been in doubt following the tumultuous end to McCoy’s time there.
“There are some things that are out of my control and Bru’s control and our administration’s control in this process,” Heupel told reporters Friday. “Everybody on our side is working as hard as they possibly can to make sure we come to a resolution as quickly as possible and give the kid an opportunity to go play.”
In July 2021, McCoy was arrested on suspicion of felony intimate partner violence; the alleged conduct involved his ex-girlfriend, who, according to court documents, was not a USC student. USC suspended McCoy from all team activities in early August 2021 and kept the suspension in place through the 2021 season, even though the Los Angeles District Attorney’s office in August declined to file criminal charges against McCoy, citing insufficient evidence.
McCoy was also barred from campus during a Title IX investigation, though according to the Los Angeles Times that was later modified to allow him to attend in-person classes.
USC dropped its Title IX complaint in February, the L.A. Times reported, after the woman refused to participate in a hearing and allow the school access to her medical records.
McCoy challenged USC’s decision to bar him from campus in Los Angeles Superior Court, contending in an Aug. 30 legal filing that the university had provided no evidence that he posed an immediate threat to the physical health or safety of anyone. McCoy dropped his legal action against the school last month.
McCoy’s request for immediate eligibility also is impacted since he has technically transferred twice. Rated by ESPN as the top athlete and No. 27 overall player in his class, McCoy initially enrolled at USC but transferred to Texas, where he spent spring practice in 2019. He then transferred back to USC but did not play that season because of an illness.
McCoy played only one season at USC, recording 21 receptions for 236 yards and two touchdowns in 2020.