NCAA clears freshman receiver Rogers

Freshman wide receiver Darreus Rogers has been cleared by the NCAA to officially join USC’s football team.

Rogers announced the news on his Twitter account Thursday afternoon. The four-star recruit from Carson, Calif. had been waiting on his academic status for a number of months and was unable to take part in any of fall camp as he anticipated word from the NCAA Eligibility Center.

With the Trojans still limited to 75 scholarships for the season, it is unknown what head coach Lane Kiffin plans to do with Rogers. The Trojans recently reassembled their scholarships after the additions of junior running back Silas Redd and redshirt junior linebacker Simione Vehikite, and it doesn’t appear that they have any slots available for the freshman wide receiver.

Kiffin has yet to publicly weigh in on the news of Rogers being reinstated to the team, but a number of possibilities still exist. USC could bring him in as a walk-on or shift scholarships around so he obtains one. There’s also a chance that the Trojans have a completely different plan in mind, as Kiffin and the athletic department have remained mum on the issue for the most part. Regardless of the outcome, Rogers is likely a redshirt candidate after missing both camps and the first weeks of the regular season.

Rogers played for Carson High School in 2011, obtaining a number of awards in his senior season including Super Prep All-American. He accumulated 1,251 yards and 10 touchdowns on 64 receptions. Rivals.com ranked him as the 29th best player at his position.