USC suspends safety Patrick Hall indefinitely

USC coach Lane Kiffin suspended freshman safety Patrick Hall indefinitely today for failing to meet the coaching staff’s expectations.

“We have a team of 99 percent of guys right now who are fully committed to being a championship student-athlete on the field and off the field,” Kiffin said. “We didn’t feel like Patrick was doing that.”

Hall, a four-star recruit two years ago out of Oxnard, Calif., did not play last season while dealing with injuries and academic issues. He also sat out drills last spring rehabbing an injured knee.

According to Kiffin, the suspension resulted from a lack of focus and not an isolated incident. Kiffin reached his decision after sitting down with Hall and feeling like he had different goals than the rest of the team.

“This is not something you’re going to find he did something really wrong over the last week or anything [with] the law,” he said.

Kiffin added that Hall had a chance to rejoin the team once he changes his focus.

The suspension leaves USC with just 70 scholarship players two days before they leave for its season opener against Hawai’i. NCAA regulations allow up to 85 scholarship athletes.