His dad had to tell him to post his offers on social media. But he wasn't other students. The next he was taking his physical on campus. Bru McCoy was in a bad frame of mind as he battled a mysterious illness. I just want you to be happy.' Usually, it takes 24-48 hours for a player to appear following their request. He used to feel uncomfortable in high school when his friends would shout "All-American!" McCoy, 21, did not play a snap at USC this season after he was arrested in July on suspicion of violating California Penal Code Section 273.5 (a), which covers domestic violence toward a spouse or other cohabitant. Players no longer require permission from their coaches in order to transfer. Wide receiver Bru McCoy, a Southern Cal transfer and former five-star recruit, has committed to Tennessee. I'm not trying to imply that Smart is some bad guy or anything like that, but it's true that Georgia has not had the cleanest record when it comes to signing players with off-the-field questions. That decision has helped transform the game of college football by giving players an easier opportunity to change teams and direct their playing careers. The internet was not some abstract place, something that shut off once he closed his laptop. His family didn't understand at first. Am I the man I hope to be? Players were trying to rattle him then, get inside his head. The district attorneys office declined to file charges against McCoy last August, citing insufficient evidence. But USC continued to investigate, and McCoy ultimately never returned to the football field. But his body wouldn't allow him. There were 2,646 FBS players to enter the transfer portal during the 2020-21 transfer cycle, per a source. It's all he can control right now, during the COVID-19 pandemic, unsure if there will be a season. He likes to read books, like the one currently on his nightstand next to his bed: The Mindful Athlete by George Mumford. "I'm 19," Bru said. He'd watch Bush highlights before his Pop Warner games. Wide receiver Bru McCoy committed to Tennessee in May. "It was a huge load," says Arthur Aragon, his counselor at Mater Dei. "I think Bru found his joy again," says Helton, who felt like he saw Bru finally take a breath. He didn't think it was fair to Texas to stay there. "I told him: 'Bru, I don't care if you ever play a snap again. And he yearns to compete, to prove to those people who don't trust him and haven't forgiven him that he is still the player he was. This will be the first noted public visit McCoy has made, and it could go a long way for the Vols. August 22, 2022 8:24 am ET Wide receiver Bru McCoy committed to Tennessee in May. Georgia in the past has been more lenient and accepting of players with off-the-field concerns. But his departure via the NCAA transfer portal should bring the receivers saga at USC to a close after three disappointing years and only six total games. "I should have never cared. Schumann returning to Georgia, Transfer portal tracker: Breaking down options for top players, Football recruiting class rankings: Deion Sanders, Lincoln Riley land key prospects. USC, which conducted its own Title IX investigation, did not reinstate McCoy and did not allow him to participate in team activities last season. Some were very welcoming, happy he had returned, he says, and others were not. He performed well on the field during spring practice, made friends and really liked the coaching staff. (0:30). A doctor suggested it may have been a virus that was no longer present but still couldn't determine what he had. Then he started losing weight and couldn't sleep much. That made him feel more betrayed. Runs well enough to get behind a defense, makes the tough catch look routine and can do something with the ball in his hands after the catch as well. USC WR Bru McCoy has entered the NCAA transfer portal, @latimes can confirm. "For me to return to USC was probably one of the most difficult and decisive decisions I have made in my entire lifeand probably the best one," he says. He had done something few young athletes do: chased his own happiness. "I'm not going to tell you what you're doing is right, because it's not. Names appear in the transfer portal in one or two days, and schools are free to contact transferring players without restriction thereafter. Then the strength staff left. Texas fans learned quickly how much of a headache this . Horace, who played football at Northern Illinois, coached him, and little Bru would ask for more and more drills. ", "Just be the quiet in the storm," he said, smiling. McCoy, aformer five-star prospect, announced Tuesday night that he has committed to the Vols, publicly revealing a decision he effectively made weeks ago before wrapping up his official visit to Tennessee in late March. McCoy dealt with some off-field issues and elected to transfer away from USC as it underwent a coaching change this offseason. During the 2021 season and the following off-season, the Tennessee football team lost 18 players to the transfer portal. 13transfer wide receiver for the 2022 cycle. USC wide receiver Bru McCoy runs the ball during the 2020 Pac-12 championship game against Oregon. Somebody's son. It took a one-on-one meeting with USC coach Clay Helton to help McCoy turn a corner. ', "I have something to prove to myself," Bru says. Let's also not forget that one of Georgia's QBs, JT Daniels, is a former teammate of McCoy's at both Mater Dei High School and USC. USC wide receiver Bru McCoy runs the ball during the 2020 Pac-12 championship game against Oregon. The answer was always no. He feels happy. ", The kid called with his two friends. One minute he was playing in the All-American Bowl. He was a three-star signee in the 2020 class. Shelby woke him up every day at 5 a.m., making him egg-and-cheese burritos or bacon-and-egg bagel sandwiches, and he'd be out of the door by 5:45 a.m., in time to lift weights in Orange County by 7 a.m. Nick Saban was FaceTiming him at school. On the ride home, Horace looked back in the rearview mirror and caught Bru smiling wide: "Bet you won't call him Touchdown Tommy anymore. ", "Mom," Bru said. His family knew his character, and he would rely on them more. McCoy's eligibility battle is ongoing as Tennessee's season opener against Ball State approaches on Sept. 1 (7 p.m. He slowed down, taking a redshirt and looking forward to a return for the 2020 season. Running back Kenan Christon, who entered the transfer portal. "People dehumanized me," says Bru, now back at USC and planning to play for the Trojans as a redshirt freshman whenever college football resumes. After one workout, a trainer took his temperature. Among the 14 were star-crossed wide receivers Bru McCoy and Jake Smith, both of whom transferred out, running backs Kenyatta Watson II and Derrian Brown, and linebacker De'Gabriel Floyd, whose career was hampered by injury. Potential early impact player at BCS level and high round NFL draft pick. If you drop a pass, catch a pass, it doesn't matter. We don't care how many touchdowns you score. No matter what anyone said about him as an offensive player, as a defensive player, he was still their son. That 2019 out-of-state load was more miss than hit, though. "He literally had no life. #4 Pos: WR Ht: 6026 Wt: 220 40: 4.67 DOB: 6/22/2000 Hometown: Palos Verdes, CA High School: Mater Dei Eligibility: 2023. "Hey, Mom, meet Mike, the guy who was making those comments. Couldn't stop the comments, the posts. That means all players who enter the transfer portal for the first time will be immediately eligible at their new school as long as they meet a NCAA mandated entry deadline. He spent the spring in Austin before another change of heart led him back to Los Angeles. Outstanding pass rusher who combines an explosive first step to get the edge with the power to bull rush a tackle or change direction and flashes a quick move to the inside. "I was miserable," Bru says. The boy didn't even get a yard. Wasn't sure who really wanted to be his friend, for him; not for how much money he could make one day. As a child, Bru used to cuddle a USC football that his dad gave to him, squeezing it tightly underneath his covers. But in 2020, as he returned to full health, McCoy carved out a minor role in USCs passing attack, amassing 21 catches for 236 yards and two touchdowns. It could be a win-win situation, that is, if the nature of McCoy's exit from USC. CBS Sports is a registered trademark of CBS Broadcasting Inc. In Tennessee's 31-14 win over Clemson in the Orange Bowl, Bru McCoy, Squirrel White and Ramel Keyton started. Just down. And all three plan to return next season. She was furious, running up the stairs into his room. Mirin Fader is a staff writer for B/R Mag. High school games. More mindfulness. Warmer storms could cause problems, DA declines to file charges against USC receiver Bru McCoy, one of the top prospects to come out of Southern California, Illness and a Texas detour left Bru McCoy hurting. 2005-2023 CBS INTERACTIVE ALL RIGHTS RESERVED. Singer averaged 16.7 yards per . Sometimes he struggled to keep his eyes open while they drove home on the 405 because he was so exhausted. At three years old, he leapt up on stage at a local Hard Rock Cafe and started dancing. Early life and high school career. Runs well enough to get behind a defense, makes the tough catch look routine and can do something with the ball in his hands after the catch as well. I put adversity in front of myself and ran right into it by double transferring.". He just wanted to play, to shut everyone up about the transfers. Or the strength staff leaving? USC's Bru McCoy, who didn't play a game this season after a July arrest on suspicion of felony domestic violence, has entered the transfer portal for the third time in his career. Who could understand after all he had overcome, he was faced with this? It was incredibly awkward. However, schools are under no obligation to keep a player on scholarship once they enter the portal. "Bru has only one speed," says Graham Harrell, offensive coordinator and quarterbacks coach. And, watching, Horace realized something about his son: "He isn't a boy anymore. McCoy, who ranks as the No. His coaches were welcoming. Potential early impact player at BCS level and high round NFL draft pick. He missed his entire true freshman campaign with an illness before making his debut in a COVID-19-shortened 2020 campaign. That's the hard part of growing up: realizing that your failures, your successes, your decisions and your second guesses, are yours. The book talks about being present. He took eight classes his senior year, all during the season (students regularly take six). - Named the 2018 MaxPreps National Football Player of the Year and the 2019 All-American Bowl Player of the Year. CBS Sports is a registered trademark of CBS Broadcasting Inc. The Vols havent made any promises to McCoy, he said, about the role he might play once he arrives at Tennessee later this spring. Where he plays in college will be interesting as he prefers receiver but might have more upside as a 3-4 outside backer. ", He takes a breath. - Led Mater Dei to two consecutive CIF and state titles in his junior and senior seasons. "When chaos is raging around you, that's when it's time to get quiet, to listen and to think. Herald-Times. In late August, the district attorneys office decided not to file charges, saying that it had insufficient evidence. Now, he comes to a Volunteers offense that ranked top 10 in college football a year ago and features Hendon Hooker as one of the SEC's most efficient quarterbacks. So I came in with just an open mind completely. Every day, Bru bikes miles and miles up the steep hills of Palos Verdes, in Los Angeles County, where he lives with his family. Then there was speculation that coach Clay Helton could be fired. He appeared in six games for USC in 2020,. A fascinating prospect due to his ability to play both wide receiver and edge rusher at an elite level, McCoy ranked as the No. He's never going to be anything." Plays the run very well and is comfortable in space or dropping back in to coverage. On May 3, his saga seemingly came to an end, when . Like any 18-year-old, he couldn't have come to these realizations until he experienced them. Munir McClain, a former Trojans wideout, was held out of the shortened 2020 season amid a federal probe into unemployment benefits fraud. However, shortly afterward that January he decided to leave USC for Texas. McCoy came away convinced that he would thrive in Heupels system and enjoy playing for Tennessees coaches. Tennessee finished Heupel's second season ranked sixth by The Associated Press college football poll, the Vols' highest finish since 2001. But finding out, the day after he enrolled in classes, that Trojan offensive coordinator Kliff Kingsbury was leaving to coach the Arizona Cardinals, was jarring. He didn't understand what was happening. USC third-year wide receiver Bru McCoy entered the transfer portal Thursday, 247Sports has learned. Had I known the things I know now, truthfully I would have never left USC and went to Texas. Reply . 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