USC’s depth chart on defense took a bit of a hit this week as head coach Clay Helton confirmed to the media that freshman linebacker Tayler Katoa would miss the rest of 2017 after tearing his ACL.
USC freshman linebacker Tayler Katoa tore his ACL and will be out for the season.
— Joey Kaufman (@joeyrkaufman) April 1, 2017
Katoa, an early enrollee, was injured during Thursday’s practice.
While the three-star recruit from Utah was unlikely to join the starting 11 as a linebacker, he appeared to be making enough plays this spring to help contribute to the depth at the position and on special teams. Cam Smith, Porter Gustin and Uchenna Nwosu still figure to get the bulk of playing time at linebacker for the Trojans, who likely will start off the season as the favorites to win the Pac-12.
