Poor Porter Gustin, he just can’t quite seem to avoid getting bitten by the injury bug.
Initial reports on Tuesday had Gustin being carted off USC’s practice field and headed for an MRI on what was believed to be an injured knee. According to the Orange County Register the next day, the MRI revealed a “slightly torn” meniscus in Gustin’s left knee that is expected to sideline the redshirt junior linebacker for several weeks.
In an update to the original reporting, the football program confirmed the surgery as well as acknowledging that Gustin could be sidelined for 2-4 weeks.
USC OLB @PorterGustin will undergo surgery for a minor meniscus tear in his left knee.
— USC Trojans (@USC_Athletics) August 9, 2018
He is expected to miss 2-4 weeks. #FightOn pic.twitter.com/l9IVEVvXN9
On the short end of that timeline, Gustin would be sidelined for no games; on the long end, he’d miss the season opener against UNLV Sept. 1. And, should the rehab linger longer than expected -- head coach Clay Helton it’s “sometimes five [weeks], depending on people, how they heal” -- a road trip to Texas in Week 2 and the Pac-12 opener against Stanford down on The Farm in Week 3 could also come into play.
A toe injury suffered in September ultimately caused Gustin to miss the last 10 games of the 2017 season. The year before, Gustin led the Trojans in tackles for loss in starting all 13 games.
Earlier this offseason, Gustin was named to Bednarik (HERE) and Butkus (HERE) Award preseason watch lists.
