USC's D.J. Shoemate (#10) is the fourth player to defect from the program since the NCAA sanctions
Not to sound like a broken record, but USC is again feeling the burn from the NCAA’s torching of the program. RB/WR D.J. Shoemate is leaving the school and heading to the greener pastures of UConn. Fans should appreciate that Shoemate didn’t downplay his reason for transferring. He simply stated it was a business decision. During his SC career he only amassed 2 yards total on the ground and with the talent at RB he would never have seen the field. Additionally, the Trojan bowl ban was certainly an impetus to depart tinseltown. Shoemate has to get on that field to improve his NFL stock. Thus, Shoemate is taking advantage of the NCAA’s grant allowing USC upperclassmen to transfer without sitting the mandatory one year.
Aside from Storrs being the exact antithesis of La La Land, transferring to UConn could prove to pay dividends for the California native. Shoemate is expected to make an immediate impact on the UConn roster which last year lost 5 games by a combined 15 points. 8 starters return on offense to include TB Jordan Todman. QB Zach Frazer returns under center with a very suitable back-up if he goes down in Cody Endres. The Huskies have a potent offense and with Shoemate in the huddle, Big East defenses have another reason to worry about Randy Edsall’s offensive punch that averaged 387.2 total yards per game in ’09.
UConn has a very legitimate shot at winning the conference with Pitt being the only potential hurdle. As you know, if UConn wins the Big East, it’s an automatic BCS berth, something Shoemate expected at USC but is currently unattainable with the program’s pending sanctions.
