What the absence of the fall season means for USC's potential NFL draftees
The Pac-12's decision this week to cancel all sports until at least January has created many new questions about roster management, eligibility matters, the transfer market and NFL draft entrants.
USC junior safety Talanoa Hufanga is one Trojans who figured to face a decision after this season about whether to declare for the NFL draft or return for his senior season. Now the decision may be whether to skip a potential spring season and prepare for the draft or play and hope to improve his stock.
Hufanga was asked his mindset on that matter while talking with reporters Wednesday and understandably was not ready to deliver a definitive answer.
"That's a tough question for me to answer right now because I'm really big in living in the moment, living in the present and doing what coaches are providing us with being able to train," he said. "So that's a discussion down the road with our coaches and our family as well, but like I said, I would like to save that for a different time and focus on the present and hopefully get ready for our season."
USC coach Clay Helton was also asked about that matter and his expectation for how it will impact his roster with guys like wide receiver Amon-Ra St. Brown, offensive lineman Alijah Vera-Tucker and defensive linemen Jay Tufele and Marlon Tuipulotu in the same situation as Hufanga.
"We actually discussed it [Tuesday] night. As we dealt with 2020 we've had some of the harder conversations in my career over several subjects, but the one thing that I take refuge in is just honest and frank communications. Our players respect it, so we always have open conversations," Helton said. "I told them last night, I said, 'Guys, the future is unknown, and the one thing I always give advice to everybody, whether you play a fall season or the situation that we're in is take your time. Take your time and garner all information so you can make the best decision for yourself first.'
"Because each person has their own decision to make, but if you take the time -- don't make an emotional decision because as emotion goes up sometimes intelligence goes down. Garner all information, see where we are as a whole in college football, see where we are from an NFL calendar whether we have a spring season or not. Be able to garner all the information and then make the best decision for yourself. Like I told them, each and every year I sit down with the players that have been blessed enough to be able to maybe move onto the NFL, we have those discussions as a family and I think we make great decisions together -- both for the ones that have left and the ones that have stayed. And we'll do the same thing in this situation -- just honest, clarity, transparent, providing them information and allowing them to make the best decision for themselves each and every man."
Those decisions will likely also be influenced by what the NFL decides to do with its draft schedule -- does it keep the draft in April and the NFL Scouting Combine in late February, or does it adjust based on the restructured college football schedule? Again, more questions without immediate answers.
Speaking of which, Helton was also asked whether he was worried that schools from the SEC, ACC and Big 12, which at present are still moving forward with plans for a fall season, would try to pursue Pac-12 and Big Ten players as transfers.
"Right now I don't feel that being an issue. We'll deal with it if it comes up. I'll be honest with you, this is a really tight-knit group. It's really a brotherhood and a family and I think that's what disappointing and sad to us -- we know that not only were we a very good team walking into this fall season but really a team that was bonded really well. We have to stay strong together," Helton said. "Could there be adversity with gentlemen making some decisions whether it's NFL or considering other places? Yeah, there might be, and we'll handle each one individually. But all I can tell you is that team showed up [Wednesday] morning with the best attitude I have ever seen, and I was the most proud head coach and father you can possibly imagine to watch them work. So I'm not [expecting] it right now, but it's become part of college football -- it really has."