The USC Trojans were hit with unfortunate news recently when offensive lineman DJ Wingfield had his eligibility waiver denied by the NCAA as he was seeking to play his sixth season of college football.
Wingfield has fired back at the governing body of college athletics by hiring attorney Darren Heitner and filing a temporary injunction for his sixth season of eligibility this past Monday according to Pete Nakos of On3. The lawsuit states that Wingfield will lose $210,000 dollars in NIL money by not playing this season.
Nov 19, 2022; Pasadena, California, USA; Southern California Trojans head coach Lincoln Riley reacts following the victory against the UCLA Bruins at the Rose Bowl. Mandatory Credit: Gary A. Vasquez-Imagn Images / Gary A. Vasquez-Imagn Images
Wingfield’s college career started back in 2019 at El Camino College in Torrance, California. He played his freshman season at the JuCo before taking the 2020 season off for personal reasons. Wingfield suited back up in 2021 for El Camino before signing with New Mexico in 2022. After sitting out the majority of the 2022 campaign with a season-ending injury, Wingfield played in 2023 for the Lobos before transferring to Purdue and spending the 2024 campaign with the Boilermakers.
The loss of Wingfield is a tough pill to swallow for everyone involved in the program if the decision is ultimately upheld. For Wingfield, he’s missing out on what should be his final season of college football and opportunities to impress NFL scouts. For USC, they miss out on the impact he could’ve had on the field.
USC made Wingfield a priority target when he entered the transfer portal. For them to put together a sizable NIL package and chance to start, just for Wingfield’s waiver to get denied, is a tough pill to swallow for the Trojans’ staff.
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Oct 28, 2023; Berkeley, California, USA; USC Trojans head coach Lincoln Riley before the game against the California Golden Bears at California Memorial Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Darren Yamashita-Imagn Images / Darren Yamashita-Imagn Images
Although the news of Wingfield’s ineligibility stings as he was projected to be a starter along the offensive line, the Trojans have options to shuffle around to try and minimize the loss.
Wingfield was expected to man one of the guard positions along with returning starter Alani Noa. Unfortunately for the Trojans, they don’t have many options with playing experience like Wingfield does in their reserves.
Redshirt sophomore Micah Banuelos will be looked upon as one of the favorites to take over for WIngfield in the time being. A member of the 2023 recruiting class along with offensive linemen Elijah Paige, Tobias Raymond, and Noa, Banuelos has played in only three games since arriving on campus. Last season, he got snaps in vs. Utah State during the blowout win over the Aggies and in USC’s Las Vegas Bowl win over Texas A&M. During his redshirt season in 2023, he played in only one game.
Another underclassman in redshirt freshman Kaylon Miller could potentially also see playing time. Miller came to USC as a walk-on and has developed quite nicely. Prior to Wingfield’s waiver denial, Miller was competing for a spot in the Trojans’ second-team unit.