Cornerback Jack Jones ruled academically ineligible for the 2018 season

USC will now have to replace another starter for the 2018 season.

Junior cornerback Jack Jones was ruled academically ineligible for the 2018 season on Friday afternoon. The report came from Adam Maya of TrojansFootball.com, who tweeted the news.

Jones sat out spring camp to focus on his academics, however that apparently didn’t help matters for him. USC would have to replace Jones for season opener against UNLV due to him being suspended for violation of team rules. Jones was anticipated to build off of last season after he was named to third team all-American team by the AP. The Junior cornerback was prone to giving up the big play and committed some unsportsmanlike conduct penalties, however he did play a key role in the secondary last season.

New opportunity opens up at corner with the absence of Jones this season. USC has depth at cornerback position which is a first in a while for the Trojans. Senior Isaiah Langley is currently the front runner to start. During the spring he took first team reps in place for Jones and last season started in place of Iman Marshall due to injury and impressed. Redshirt Sophomore Johnathan Lockett is another who could work his way back into the rotation after missing time with hip surgeries. Another player to keep an eye on is redshirt freshman Greg Johnson, who impressed coaches during spring camp.

The absence of Jones could also mean opportunity for incoming freshman Olaijah Griffin and Issac Taylor-Stewart. While they have a few of players ahead of them, one of them could come into fall camp and impress the coaching staff enough to find themselves in the rotation come September 1st.