Ricky Town’s Decision to Transfer out of USC Raises a Curious Red Flag

Written by Ryan Wright

Tough to read in between the lines of a player-coach relationship but the sudden and seemingly abrupt departure of true freshman quarterback Ricky Town from USC raises more questions than provides answers.

Town was one of 26 recruits the Trojans signed as part of their 2016 recruiting class rivaling Alabama for the No. 1 class in the nation. Among the four 5-star recruits and 17 4-star rated players signing their letters of intent with the Trojans was St. Bonaventure High School stud quarterback Ricky Town. Perhaps he one of the reasons USC took the top recruiting spot from the Crimson Tide was the decision of the 6’4”, 210 pound, signal caller to decommit from Alabama instead siding with the in-state powerhouse.

When USC head coach Steve Sarkisian made the announcement of Town’s departure on Sunday a shock wave went through the college and high school football ranks. Sarkisian spoke about the parting of ways stating, “We wish him the best of luck. He’s worked extremely hard, he’s been a great member of our program and I’m sure wherever he decides to go he’ll be a good member of that program as well.”

The shocking announcement is not about a teenager two weeks into fall camp who could not cut it or realized the game was harder at the next level than imagined, but about an early enrollee who went through spring practices and for whatever reason still did not feel like he fit in with the team’s plans or the team’s chemistry going forward.

When fielding questions from the media about warning signs from Town that the transfer was imminent Sarkisian added, “(This) was the first I heard of it.”

Being clueless to the happiness of one of your top young players who could have been the face of the program raises a red flag. How could Sarkisian have been unaware of Town’s unhappiness whether real or imagined?

Sarkisian potentially added a little bit of insight to the loss of Town stating, “It takes a certain type of makeup to envision three-four years down the road. It’s not always about what’s going on right now but what’s happening down the road.”

Without needed communication with Town, now there is no three or four years down the road with the No. 5 ranked quarterback in the 2015 recruiting class.

USC is down to three scholarship quarterbacks; senior All-American candidate Cody Kessler, redshirt sophomore Max Browne, and true freshman Sam Darnold (San Clemente). Darnold joined the team during the summer and is still picking up the nuances of USC’s offense in fall camp.

If all goes well in the pocket for the Trojans there will be little need for a backup quarterback except in the case of mop-up duty. Kessler passed for 3,826 yards with 39 touchdowns against just five picks in Sarkisian’s first year as the Trojan’s head coach.

The Trojans open their season at the Coliseum on Sept. 5 against Arkansas State.

Photo credit: Robert Gauthier; LA Times; No. 8 Ricky Town watches as Cody Kessler makes his drops in practice.