It appears to be officially official.
In late August, reports surfaced that Ykili Ross (pictured, No. 14) had left the USC football team and would be transferring out of the program. In a statement posted to his personal Twitter account very early Wednesday morning, the defensive back wrote that he “feel[s] it is best to continue my journey and pursue a masters (sic) degree at a university that will accept all that Ykili Ross brings to the table.”
Ross claimed that “neither my talent nor my passion for the sport/game was being utilized to its maximum potential” at USC, adding that his “development as a ball player (sic) and my dedication to the team was not being showcased/invested in.”
The initial reports of the redshirt junior’s impending departure came a short time after he reportedly nearly came to blows with teammates during a midweek practice. “To those that have adopted the narrative that I am disruptive, start fights, have no passion for the game, etc.,” Ross wrote. “I have never started any fights nor got into any crazy incidents, no cops, no trouble.”
Ross, a four-star 2015 signee, played in 24 games the past two seasons after redshirting as a true freshman. The Riverside, CA, product was in line for the starting strong safety job prior to his abrupt departure a week before the start of the regular season.
Thanks to Ross leaving, Bubba Bolden had nailed down that starting job heading into the 2018 opener. Because of an unspecified university matter, however, Bolden has been sidelined the first three games and replaced in the starting lineup by redshirt freshman Isaiah Pola-Mao.
Earlier this week, head coach Clay Helton confirmed that Pola-Mao, the nephew of former USC legend Troy Polamalu, will undergo what he described as “significant” shoulder surgery and miss the remainder of the season.