At this point in the season, USC has rebounded from their rocky start to the 2016 season.
Head coach Clay Helton has made significant changes across the board to the Trojans roster and game-planning, the most significant of them being at the quarterback position, where he replaced opening day starter, Max Browne, after three games, with freshman Sam Darnold. It was what had to be done in Helton’s eyes to kick-start a failing USC roster.
However, the long-term impact of his decision is now being felt by the player he sent to the bench. Browne, a redshirt junior, has been granted a “permission-to-contact form” by the school, which allows him to transfer to any school in the NCAA.