Offensive lineman DJ Wingfield transferred to the USC Trojans from Purdue this past offseason. With the abrupt loss of Emmanuel Pregnon to the transfer portal in December, Wingfield has largely been viewed as his replacement to start at left guard.
He has the size and experience to back that up, and all indications are that he had a fantastic spring practice and the coaching staff feels very confident in his abilities.
There is just one small problem.
According to On3, the NCAA has yet to approve his waiver, giving him one more year of eligibility. If this is not approved, Wingfield would not be allowed to play for the USC Trojans this season.
DJ Wingfield’s Season With USC Trojans At Risk?
After last season, Wingfield originally planned to enter the NFL Draft, but after the NCAA approved the idea that players who played at least one season at a non-NCAA program would be given one extra year of eligibility, he decided to enter the transfer portal.
We have seen this play out for quarterback Diego Pavia, who was able to gain an extra year and play one more season with Vanderbilt this year. Closer to home, Wingfield’s teammate, USC Trojans cornerback DeCarlos Nicholson, has gained his waiver and will be playing his final year with the Trojans in 2025.
This new waiver was issued by the NCAA back in December and allowed student-athletes to use a final year of eligibility based on relief provided due to the impacts of COVID-19, and based on whether they played at least one season at a non-NCAA program.
Wingfield began his playing career at El Camino Junior College, where he played 22 games. He transferred to New Mexico as a junior, but ended up redshirting after getting injured and only playing in one game.
He played 9 games in his redshirt junior season and then transferred to Purdue for his redshirt senior season last year.
Based on this waiver, it seems like a no-brainer that Wingfield will be approved and deemed eligible, following the same path as Nicholson. For whatever reason, his waiver has yet to be approved.
As a result, Wingfield has hired attorney Darren Heitner to file an injunction suit with the NCAA.
Based on our knowledge of the situation, I would expect this to get resolved and for DJ Wingfield to play out the 2025 season as the USC Trojans’ starting left guard.
However, this is a developing story, and we will keep a close eye on how it plays out.