USC Trojans freshman wide receiver Bru McCoy to miss 2019, debut next season

USCfreshman wide receiver Bru McCoy, who transferred back to the program after spending the spring at Texas, will not play this season.

Trojans coach Clay Helton told reporters following Tuesday's practice that McCoy, who has been battling a mysterious illness since the summer, will not make his collegiate debut until 2020.

"He's doing a great job academically, doing a great job in strength and conditioning," Helton said. "He'll be ready for spring."

McCoy began light participation in practice with USC on Sept. 16 after the illness subsided. McCoy's father, Horace, told several media outlets in August that doctors couldn't pinpoint the illness or what had caused the fevers Bru continued to experience.

Bru McCoy would have needed an NCAA waiver to play because he transferred twice after enrolling at USC in January. Ranked as ESPN's top wide receiver and the No. 27 overall player in the 2019 class, McCoy transferred to Texas after Kliff Kingsbury left USC's coaching staff to become the Arizona Cardinals head coach.

He went through spring practice with the Longhorns but transferred back to USC and re-enrolled in June. A Texas contingent featuring coach Tom Herman and starting quarterback Sam Ehlinger went to California to try to convince McCoy to remain with Texas.

The 6-foot-3, 210-pound McCoy had 80 receptions for 1,430 yards and 19 touchdowns as a senior at Southern California powerhouse Mater Dei High School in Santa Ana.