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USC football: Program-wide reaction to Hazelton’s departure
December 2nd, 2008, 10:00 pm · 5 Comments · posted by Michael Lev, staff writer
Reactions from USC players and coaches after junior receiver Vidal Hazelton filed the paperwork to transfer from the school:
Receiver Brandon Carswell:
(on whether Hazelton ever talked about leaving) “Not about leaving. Sometimes he would be like, ‘Man, I just need to work harder. Something’s going on to where I’m not playing.’ It’s just really surprising, though.”
(on whether he’s sad to see Hazleton go) “Oh yeah, definitely. We’re all brothers. It’s going to be really hard to replace a guy like that. He was really a playmaker. He came out here and worked hard.”
Defensive end Kyle Moore:
(on what he said to Hazelton on Tuesday) “I just told him I’m going to miss him.”
(on whether this signifies a trend in the program after Broderick Green also left) “No. People transfer from everywhere. … I hate to see him go, but you gotta do what you gotta do.”
Offensive coordinator Steve Sarkisian:
(on why Hazelton lost playing time) “Everything on this field is based on competition. We try to play the guys that have competed and are doing things right on a consistent basis. That’s where the chips fell.”
(on how injuries affected Hazleton) “None of those things helped. When you’re healthy and you’re feeling good, it’s a lot easier to come out and battle. When you’ve got a nick here, a nick there, an illness here, a something there, it hinders your ability to compete on a daily basis, on a consistent basis.”
Quarterback Mark Sanchez:
(on whether anything was different about Hazelton this season) “He was injured early, with the ankle injury. That didn’t really help. In the end it was his decision. He’s taken off, and we wish him the best. It’s too bad. He’s a good player. He’s going to be good wherever he goes.”
(on whether it’s disheartening to lose another player) “It happens. Guys compete so much … if they can’t do it anymore, then maybe this isn’t the right spot for them. There’s always going to be good guys here.”
WR coach John Morton:
(on whether he was suprised Hazelton left) “A little bit. We’ve been working on some things. We thought he was improving.”
(on how Hazelton handled falling down the depth chart) “He was a No. 1 guy. When you lose your starting spot, obviously you struggle with it. It’s my job to help him through that, help him fight through adversity, help him along, just to keep fighting. He was a competitor. Competitors fight. It’s just that he was fighting, and other guys were making plays. We’ve got to play the guys who are playing the best.”
(on Hazelton’s frustratio level because of the injuries) “Vidal was a physical player, so there was always something he was getting. That’s hard for a player. You’ve got to fight through it. … Not only do you lose your starting role, you’re getting injured, there’s a lot of things you’ve got to fight through. … It was my job to help him through certain things. It’s how he responds to it. He struggled in the beginning, but then he came along and started fighting.”
(on how hard it is to see Hazelton leave after investing so much time in him) “We did invest a lot of time. You put all that hard work into it, and you want to see a kid succeed. You don’t want to see anybody let go. That was one of the frustrating things. When you work hard, you want to see some results. Again, when the guys in front of him are making plays, when you get an opportunity you have to take advantage of it. And if you don’t, you stay status quo.”
Coach Pete Carroll:
(on whether Hazelton’s decision surprised him) “Just timing-wise maybe a little bit. But it’s best at this point, with all that’s going on here, that he isn’t with us now. It could have gone the other way. It’s hard on him. I noticed also with Broderick when his deal came up, it’s hard for the guys to stay in it and stay focused (when they’re not playing). They think they can, but it’s difficult. … Hopefully it’ll turn out well. He’s a very good football player. He’s a tough kid, and a great, competitive kid.”
(on whether Morton pushed for Hazleton to play more) “Yeah, he was always fighting. These guys fight for all their guys. They want all the play time they can get. They know the competitive kids need to be out there. We tried the best we could. But sometimes other guys take spots away. That’s part of the competition of this program. It’s tough to be here. It’s a challenge to be here. Sometimes it might be better for somebody to go somewhere else, particularly when they have other issues, too, that coincide.”
(on how Hazelton handled his fall down the depth chart) “He battled. He fought and battled. Then he encountered one issue after another injury-wise and couldn’t get back out here on a steady basis. … He didn’t have a good, constant run at getting back out there. He kept having to take a step backward to heal, and other guys kept rolling. It’s just competition. A lot of factors enter in. You get banged up and you lose your turn, other guys fill in. … That’s how it goes. I love that aspect of our program. We continue to promote the competitive side of it. Guys continue to battle for what they get. Everything counts. Our guys are into it. Our guys understand it. It’s why we have such good practices and we hold can hold such a level of performance. To me, practice is everything. There’s much more time spent out here, showing where you fit in, who you are and what you’re all about.”
More from the USC blog:
- USC football: Recounting Hazelton’s star-crossed season
- USC football: Carroll glad to have timeout back
- USC football: Injuries kick Shoemate to fullback
- USC football: Injury updates, other tidbits
- USC football: Why Vidal Hazelton is leaving USC
- USC football: Vidal Hazelton transfers
- USC football: Jersey switch to cost just one timeout
- USC football: In Carroll’s words (with commentary)
- Sanchez, Matthews make Pac-10 All-Academic team
- USC football: Seniors say Rose Bowl is bittersweet
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Mr. Lev:
Did someone, maybe even you, ask why Williams and Mustain transferred into USC from Arkansas to play football? Why would Mitch Mustain, looking at the depth at the USC QB position, want to transfer into USC, give up a year, and then fight for playing time? Could it be he was Parade Magazine’s National Player of the Year? Could it be Williams was confident enough in his abilities that he wanted to compete against, say Hazleton? Maybe it’s because they fit the USC football player profile. Pete Carroll has said time and again that he is only interested in recruits who don’t care about a depth chart. He feels like they lack the heart to compete to his standard.
Kyle Moore said it best. Players transfer from programs all the time. Why would it matter so much that a player that had only caught on pass this season be of such importance that you would headline his transfer? Mr. Lev: he got beat out. Sark said it plain and clear. “He’s not as good as the other guys.” What’s the mystery?
Hey, let him go to UCLA. Just kidding. He still wants to be on a football team. How about transferring to Florida. Moody did that. Moody has done what exactly? After sitting out a year, what has Moody done on the Florida Gators? His uncle thought it was best for him to go there, because he didn’t think Moody was getting enough playing-time at USC. How did that work out?
Matt Cassel never started at USC and was the backup for two Trojan QBs. How did his staying at USC turn out for him? Backups on last year’s USC team were drafted and are in the NFL. Marcus Allen was an “all everything” in San Diego high school football and decided to play for USC. He became a backup running back - then a blocking back for Heisman winner Charles White. Allen chose to hang in there and compete. Marcus “chose wisely.” Moody, who had started a couple of games before getting hurt should have spoken to Marcus Allen, before “choosing unwisely.”
I, like other USC fans, hope the best for Vidal and his family. We always will.
Doug:
Your opinion is NOTED, Sir. It also has some good logical points and at the same time your indifference bothers me like he__ __. VH wanted to be a Trojan so bad he sent his LOI to USC without his father signature. I followed this “kid” (paternally & respectfully stated!) from the minute I learned his USC interest. For no other reason as a loyal USC fan this transfer/situation/end irritates me. Sarkisian comment is unprofessional whether it is true or NOT.
Good luck Vidal!
Yeah, I can’t also help but feel Vidal is being thrown under the bus by the coaches to preserve their own image. I always liked Vidal and see his big potential. He was probably our best receiver last year.
Now that Turner will be gone, if either RoJo or Damian Williams gets hurt, who do we go to? Ausberry? I feel like Ausberry has been forgotten. Brandon Carswell does not seem to be brought along very well, either, despite raves from practices. Travon Patterson has not been given a chance to do a single thing, and neither was Jamere “Glass” Holland before he transferred to Oregon. I do not think the coaches handled this well. I also think Vidal fell victim to not only injuries, but also the inconsistent nature of the offense this year.
I understand the philosophy: stockpile talent, and let the best rise to the top. Only problem is, our offense is not THAT GOOD! How is it that other teams match our offensive unit’s level of play while following the good ol’ fashioned philosophies? Not a single player on our offense is the best at his position in even the conference, let alone the nation. And the Pac 10 is so weak this year! I am starting to wonder if all these recruits competing are only hurting each other, rather than helping the team.
I realize we only lost one game because of a bad half all season, but why isn’t there a single player on our offense where I am confident he will consistently make a play? Good luck Vidal, and rip it up at the next school!
I’m curious to know the details within Vidal transfer. I just find it odd that Green and Vidal both decided to transfer all of a sudden? Was their some conflict within the program that’s keeping the truth from surfacing?
Ryan - SC offense is predicated on balance. I don’t necessarily agree with this strategy, but with this in mind it isn’t hard to figure out why no SC player dominates the conference numbers-wise. If you want to be the focal point of an offense, then SC is simply not the place for you. The focus is on winning games. The staff is always completely honest with every recruit, so I don’t have much sympathy for these kids.
I personally hope and think we should feature Stafon next year and let him make a Heisman run. But at QB -U the only player with a realistic chance at that nowadays is the starting QB. That is just the way it is with Steve “The Mad Passer” Sarkisian at the helm. Honestly, I just want to win every game. If Sarkisian’s offense would have gotten that done, then I would be his biggest supporter. But it didn’t. So I am not.
In that fateful Ore St. game Sark’s playcalls were motivated by arrogance. Three straight passing plays and three straight three and outs absolutely crushed our dissinterested defense. In that environment, that simply meant game over. I can only imagine what would have happend if he would have called a few Stafon power runs. Maybe a first down, a defensive breather and a victory. Instead he pulled out the Ole’ Wildcat. WTF was he thinking?
Rant over.