USC football: Brice Butler leaves, Florida transfer Josh Shaw arrives

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USC’s roster, which can include only 75 scholarship players next season, remained fluid Wednesday with receiver Brice Butler leaving for San Diego State and defensive back Josh Shaw officially arriving as a transfer from Florida.

USC Coach Lane Kiffin did not address Butler’s departure but announced that Shaw had enrolled in school for the spring semester. Shaw is expected to submit a hardship waiver to the NCAA with hopes of gaining immediate eligibility.

The departure of Butler, a fifth-year senior who has played as a reserve, was not unexpected. The Georgia native announced last spring that he was leaving USC and did not participate in spring practice. But he reconsidered after meeting with Kiffin and returned last season.

Butler, who caught 12 passes for 150 yards, will not have to sit out a year because he has graduated.

‘This was really about business and what I could do for my last year,” Butler told uscfootball.com in this report. “I am going to miss my guys, but at the end of the day it is the right decision for me.’

Butler told the website that he visited Kansas before deciding on San Diego State.

Butler is the third player to leave USC in the last week. Sophomore tailback Amir Carlisle is transferring to Notre Dame. Third-year sophomore receiver Kyle Prater is reportedly considering Wisconsin, Northwestern and Illinois. Defensive lineman Armond Armstead also is a transfer candidate. The fifth-year senior redshirted last season because he was not cleared medically. He is expected to visit other schools, where he could play immediately as a graduate student if he were cleared medically. He also could enter the NFL draft or return to USC.

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-- Gary Klein