Updates on Whitlock, Payne

USC athletics director Eric Hyman recently met with suspended cornerback C.C. Whitlock, but Whitlock’s status has not changed.
Whitlock, who was under academic suspension during the spring, was briefly reinstated before a May arrest on a trespassing charge at a nightclub near his hometown of Chester earned him an automatic suspension, per athletics department policy.
Hyman said [...]

More on summer workouts

USC’s weight room has a wall where coaches post the top marks by position in lifts such as the bench, squat and power clean. (FYI, defensive tackle Melvin Ingram had the top bench in the spring at 440 pounds.)
There is not yet a category for “most flips of a ridiculously large, 800-pound tire.” But give [...]

Watson joins Summers in Calgary

Another former USC tailback has gone to Canada looking for a second chance.
Derek Watson, whose Gamecocks’ career was derailed by a series of off-the-field issues, has joined Demetris Summers on the preseason roster of the CFL’s Calgary Stampeders.
Watson, who has been out of football since getting cut by the Tampa Bay Buccaneers three years ago, [...]

Depth chart tidbits; note on Mark Smith

South Carolina has updated its depth chart, which looks much like it did before spring practice.
A couple of notables: Byron McKnight has returned to defensive end after a spring cameo at tight end. I think that’s a good move. McKnight is an energetic pass rusher who can help the Gamecocks more on defense – even [...]

Time for Whitlock to get serious

C.C. Whitlock is hoping for another chance.
USC’s sophomore cornerback, who was found not guilty of a trespassing charge Wednesday morning, has run up a fairly long list of incidents during his two-plus years on campus. (Whitlock arrived at USC in January 2008 — apologies for the brain freeze.)

Though the trespassing was the first time Whitlock [...]