Brindise Transferring; Byrd on Tap
BLYTHEWOOD -- South Carolina backup quarterback Zac Brindise is transferring, hoping to play his remaining two years of eligibility at a school where he has a strong chance to get on the field.
Coach Steve Spurrier confirmed the departure at his media golf outing on Wednesday. Spurrier has never been hesitant to let his players go if they feel they have a chance to play at another school and Brindise was the latest to ask for permission to leave.
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"Yeah, he's transferring to Western Carolina," Spurrier said.
Brindise was entering his fourth year at USC but had never taken a varsity snap. The younger brother of Noah Brindise, who quarterbacked under Spurrier from 1995-97 at Florida, Brindise was rewarded with a scholarship last year but decided to play out his eligibility elsewhere.
It's actually the second time Brindise has been in this situation, following the 2008 preseason. After a few days of preseason camp that year, Brindise asked for and received permission to transfer from Spurrier. Instead, he changed his mind and showed up at practice the next day.
He was considered the fourth-string quarterback and became the second QB to transfer from USC in less than a year. Another career backup, Aramis Hillary, transferred to Coastal Carolina during the spring.
The move leaves USC with five quarterbacks. Starter Stephen Garcia remains the only one with varsity experience. Connor Shaw is the clear backup while Andrew Clifford, walk-on Seth Strickland and true freshman Dylan Thompson will battle for the No. 3 spot.
Spurrier also said that redshirt freshman defensive tackle Ronald Byrd was also transferring, but did not know where. Byrd tore a knee ligament during preseason camp in 2009 and has never played a snap.
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