BREAKING: WR Eli Woodard Decommits from USC, Trojans Not Budging on No-Visit Policy for Committed Players
Just when you thought nothing could go wrong with USC recruiting, because there have been very few setbacks the last two years, Eli Woodard announces his decommitment. We’re told it’s Woodard’s agent driving the plans to take official visits to other schools.
There had been buzz about Miami coming hard at both Woodard and Quentin Hale, but word before yesterday was that nothing was sticking.
And while this decommitment doesn’t necessarily mean Woodard was about to flip his pledge, he does want to visit other schools. USC was not willing to budge on its no-visit policy for committed players.
Woodard had seen his stock rise considerably since his USC commitment, and that more than likely resulted in an NIL opportunity greater than USC’s.
Whether USC was willing to adjust financially, nobody seems entirely certain right now. We do know that Woodard’s family did not expect this development heading into talks with Chad Bowden and staff on Monday.
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But what USC clearly was not willing to do was allow a committed player to continue shopping visits around the country. That part appears non-negotiable. USC will not budge on this policy.
And honestly, that policy has been a major reason USC’s recruiting operation has looked dramatically different over the last 18 months. The Trojans have prioritized alignment, structure, and commitment clarity in ways they simply didn’t previously.
Most of the time, that approach absolutely works in USC’s favor.
WeAreSC has been told USC doesn’t plan to pursue a replacement for Woodard at this time. That could change, but the reality is the commitment and reclassification of Roye Oliver sort of changed the dynamics of the future USC wide receiver room pretty significantly.
