USC QB Moss to enter portal, ‘time to move on’
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Pete Thamel, ESPN
USC quarterback Miller Moss is entering the NCAA transfer portal, he told ESPN in a phone interview.
Moss will have one year of eligibility remaining after starting 10 games during his time at USC, which began in the spring of 2021. He said he has informed the USC staff of his decision.
“I really enjoyed my time at USC,” Moss told ESPN. “It was transformative for my life as a whole and for me growing up for the last few years. I’m thankful. I gave that program everything I had.
“There comes a point where there’s a time to move on to new opportunities, and I’m hoping to better myself as a person and a player.”
In his career at USC, Moss threw for 3,469 yards and 27 touchdowns, completing 65.9% of his passes. Moss threw for 2,555 yards and 18 touchdowns for USC this season, where he started nine games before being replaced as the starter.
There’s expected to be a strong market for Moss, 22, who brings the combination of age, experience and production, which are generally coveted in the NCAA transfer portal. Moss threw for 378 yards against LSU, threw for three touchdowns against Michigan, Wisconsin and Maryland and also ran for a pair of touchdowns.
Moss said that in his next step, he’s going to look for a school that can compete for a conference championship and win “at the highest level.” He also wants a program that can ultimately help him develop for the next level.
He said he’s looking forward to engaging with different coaching staffs about systems.
“I think that’s something that I’m excited about in terms of the process,” he said. “Being able to dive into different systems with different coaches and places and see what I gravitate toward in that process.”
Moss stressed the positive experience he had at USC, including earning a bachelor’s degree in law, history and culture, with a minor in business finance.
He said his emotions about leaving are more of excitement than nerves, as he’s curious what the college football experience is like somewhere other than USC.
“It’s definitely exciting,” he said. “The biggest part of leaving USC is that I’m going to miss my teammates and the relationships I’ve built there. The hardest part of leaving is that I have a tremendous relationships.”
He expects the transfer process to move quickly and said he doesn’t have a timeline in mind. He’s looking forward to a year of full immersion in football that often comes with a graduate transfer year.
Moss said watching from the sideline the past three weeks is something he thinks will provide motivation going forward.
“I’ve had a tremendous amount of positive memories from USC,” he said. “And those don’t go away because it’s been a rough last three weeks. But those three weeks don’t go away either.
“We’re all shaped or jaded by our experiences, whether they are positive or negative. It’s something that I’ll carry with me.”
When asked what he’d tell a prospective team, Moss said: “There’s nothing I wouldn’t do for the guys in the locker room and guys I compete with. I’m hesitant to sell myself, but I have every confidence in myself as a player and a leader.”
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Jesse Rogers
CHICAGO — Los Angeles Dodgers starter Blake Snell will back off his throwing program as he continues to recover from left shoulder inflammation, according to manager Dave Roberts.
“As he was playing catch, he just didn’t feel great,” Roberts said Wednesday afternoon before the Dodgers played the Chicago Cubs. “Right now, we’re going to slow play the throwing. Will probably get it looked at again when we get back home.”
Snell, 32, has been on the injured list since early April after making just two starts for the Dodgers. He signed a five-year, $182 million contract this past offseason.
Snell, who was set to throw a bullpen session Wednesday, felt discomfort in the shoulder while playing catch Tuesday. Roberts was asked how concerning the latest setback was.
“I wouldn’t say concerning because part of the messaging from us to Blake is, it’s about later on in the season and if there’s any type of discomfort, let’s not try to fight through it,” Roberts responded.
Snell is one of several Dodgers pitchers on the mend, including left-hander Clayton Kershaw, who pitched three innings in a minor league start Tuesday, his second rehab outing this spring.
“Velocity was good,” Roberts said. “Got into the fourth inning. He’ll make a start next week. Really positive stuff.”
The Dodgers also received positive news about right-hander Tyler Glasnow after he left his last start with leg cramps. His latest bullpen session went well, according to Roberts.
Meanwhile, Shohei Ohtani is throwing again after missing time on the paternity list. He’ll have another bullpen session Saturday as he recovers from elbow surgery, though the team still doesn’t have a timetable for his return to major league action.
The team was also without catcher Will Smith on Wednesday after he injured his wrist on a play at the plate in Tuesday’s loss to the Cubs.
“As he made the tag, his [left] wrist turned in and so there’s some residual soreness,” Roberts said.
Smith could get imaging done when the team returns to Los Angeles, but Roberts wasn’t overly concerned about the injury.
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Jesse Rogers
CHICAGO — Most players are happy to be done facing the Los Angeles Dodgers, but Chicago Cubs center fielder Pete Crow-Armstrong might not be one of them.
The Los Angeles native has torched his childhood team this season, including Wednesday night at Wrigley Field when he went 3-for-4 with a home run, two stolen bases and a career-high four RBIs, helping the Cubs to a 7-6 win. It came one night after Chicago beat L.A. 11-10, with Crow-Armstrong contributing another home run.
He was asked Wednesday whether his production has special meaning coming against the team he used to root for.
“Absolutely,” he said. “I mean, they are regarded as the best, and I think we’ve enjoyed being able to show that we’re right there with them, and yeah, it’s always a little extra special for me getting to do it against the team I grew up going to see.”
Crow-Armstrong erased a 2-0 Cubs deficit with an opposite-field, three-run homer in the fourth inning, then added a run-scoring single an inning later, which turned out to be the final run of the night for the Cubs.
Overall, he had four home runs and nine RBIs in the seven-game season series against the Dodgers, which the Cubs won 4-3 after losing the first two games in Japan in mid-March. But that was before the Cubs’ offense took off. They’re averaging an MLB-high 6.3 runs per game.
Crow-Armstrong’s season took off as well, starting over a week ago when the teams met in Los Angeles. In the 10 games since, the 23-year-old is hitting .400 with five home runs.
“He needs to send me a bottle of wine or some golf balls with all the success he’s had,” Dodgers manager Dave Roberts quipped before Wednesday’s game.
Roberts and Crow-Armstrong exchanged pleasantries before the first game of the series, as the second-year player is friends with Roberts’ son, Cole. The two played against each other growing up.
“I got a couple different connections to Doc,” Crow-Armstrong said. “He’s so great.”
That’s the same word Crow-Armstrong’s teammates are using about him as he continues to impress both at the plate and in the field. According to ESPN Research, he’s the fastest player in Cubs history to reach five home runs and 10 stolen bases, doing it in 26 games.
Plus, his pitchers love seeing him patrol center field.
“Defensively, I got to say he’s probably the best,” Wednesday’s starter, Matthew Boyd, said. “And what he’s doing at the plate is no surprise.”
Crow-Armstrong showed signs of breaking out late last year but then struggled early this season before locking in during the Cubs’ most recent road trip. He said he got “on-time” with his swing while learning how to deal with failure better. He was asked how satisfied he is with his game right now.
“If it comes out in a win, it’s very satisfactory,” he said. “It makes me feel very content. I love being able to impact it in any way I can.”
So does his manager, who called Wednesday a “wonderful game” for Crow-Armstrong.
“He made his presence felt in a big way for sure,” Craig Counsell said.
Crow-Armstrong is quickly becoming a fan favorite, as the Cubs faithful are taking to his aggressive style of play. He was asked what it’s like to hear his name chanted when he comes to the plate after producing in previous at-bats.
“I’ve tried to tune that out,” he said with a laugh. “I was actually thinking about it yesterday and I was like, I got to be 0-for-20 when they’ve chanted my name. But they continue to chant and they get behind every one of us and it’s the coolest thing.”
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