3 USM stars decide to sit out over COVID-19 ‘uncertainty.’ Two players will transfer
Monday started off on a rough note for the Southern Miss football program with senior defensive end end Jacques Turner announcing plans to opt out of the 2020 season and transfer.
It only got worse from there.
Redshirt senior linebacker Racheem Boothe also announced Monday afternoon he will follow Turner’s plans — sit out this fall and transfer.
Not long after, USM head coach Jay Hopson confirmed to the Sun Herald that star receiver/return man Jaylond Adams decided to sit out the 2020 campaign. Hopson didn’t know if Adams planned to transfer, saying that he had only been informed that he will not play this fall.
The uncertainty of the COVID-19 pandemic and its impact on his family has convinced Turner that it’s best to sit this season out and transfer elsewhere.
Turner, arguably the Golden Eagles’ best defensive player as a redshirt senior defensive end, told the Sun Herald on Monday morning that he won’t play this season and that he has already entered the transfer portal. He plans to graduate at the end of the semester and become immediately eligible to play elsewhere.
Turner informed Hopson of his decision Monday morning.
“It was real stressful,” Turner said. “After I left (the meeting with Hopson), I kind of broke down crying in my car. I love my teammates, this city and fans. It’s been nothing but love since I’ve been here. It was a very hard decision.”
Turner acknowledged that the impact of the coronavirus played a large role in his decision.
He said his brother, Julius, recently tested positive for COVID-19 after visiting their mother.
“My brother is doing pretty good,” Turner said. “I’ve been keeping in touch with my mom, making sure she’s taking all the safety precautions. My brother has been staying in in his room, not being able to leave. I want to be able to help him if possible.”
As research revealed the potential lon- term impact of COVID-19 on people, including young athletes, Turner began to look closer at the possibility of sitting out this season.
Nicole Auerbach of The Athletic reported last week that myocarditis, which involves the inflammation of heart muscle, was found in at least 10 Big Ten athletes. The rare heart condition can be caused by a viral infection like COVID-19.
The 6-foot-1, 289-pound Turner said that the danger of COVID-19 and its lingering impact “definitely” played a role in his decision.
“I feel like our health is the most important thing,” he said.
Turner also said the fact that the Pac-12, Big Ten, Mountain West, and Mid-American Conference are sitting out the fall played a role in his call.
“There was too much uncertainty,” he said. “Nothing is guaranteed. This is my senior year. I deserve to have a regular, normal year like everybody else.”
A First-Team All-Conference USA selection in 2018, Turner leaves behind a big gap to fill on the USM defensive line, and he wants fans to know that he took this decision very seriously.
He first told his closest friends on the team, and then his position coach, Chris Boone, before talking with Hopson on Monday.
“Coach Hop, I have a lot of respect for him,” Turner said. “It wasn’t like I was expecting going into the meeting. He told me he totally understands. Like he said, as a man you have to make your own decision. As long as I live without regret, I can live a good life.
“This is something I’ve been thinking about the past couple of weeks. The hardest thing is leaving my brothers. I’ve been here for four years and I have a strong bond with these people.”
Turner said he expects to start hearing from other college programs soon, but he doesn’t yet have a favorite potential destination.
“I plan to take it slow. I’ll try to be as careful as I can so I can process the situation,” he said. “I get another chance to get recruited. I have to decide what type of team I want to be around.”
Turner, a versatile defensive lineman who can rush the passer, had 33 tackles and five sacks in his sophomore year. As a junior, he had 46 tackles and 5.5 sacks.
Racheem Boothe also opts out, to transfer
The situation for Boothe, who is working his way back from a knee injury, is slightly different to that of Turner.
The Bassfield native had his 2019 season end after nine games due to a torn ACL in his left knee.
He sees himself as about 75-80% healthy after taking part in a couple of weeks of fall camp at USM.
“I’m sitting out because I wanted to give myself a chance to get right with my knee,” Boothe told the Sun Herald. “I didn’t want to put a bad product on the field.”
Boothe, who said he spoke with Hopson last week about his decision, said he had only been able to take part in individual drills during camp.
“(Hopson) said he understands my deal, opting out and trying to get my knee back right,” Boothe said.
Sitting out was a difficult decision for Boothe, and it was made harder by the fact that he’ll be leaving behind close friends on the roster. He admitted to feeling “kind of gloomy” after announcing his plan to transfer.
“I’m going to miss it here, miss it like crazy,” he said. “I’ll miss my brothers, my teammates the most.”
The 6-foot, 215-pound Boothe, who earned C-USA All-Freshman honors, finishes his career with 176 tackles and 10 sacks in 33 games.
Jaylond Adams won’t play for USM in 2020
Adams, whose decision was first reported by WDAM-TV, was regarded as one of the nation’s top kick/punt returners in 2019, taking back two kickoffs and one punt for a touchdown.
The Alabama native averaged 30.8 yards on 10 kickoff returns and 9.2 yards on 10 punt returns.
He battled through injuries during the second half of the season, playing in 10 games total.
At receiver, he had 48 catches for 483 yards and two touchdowns.
Southern Miss is set to open the 2020 season with a 7 p.m. kickoff against South Alabama on Sept. 3 in Hattiesburg. The Golden Eagles currently have an 11-game schedule after the Sept. 19 Tennessee Tech game was called off following the Ohio Valley Conference’s decision to cancel most fall competition.
This story was originally published August 17, 2020 at 12:01 PM.
