Hackett: Making the Grade Only on Football Field Is Not Enough

USC Coach Paul Hackett has put receiver R. Jay Soward, one of the Trojans’ best offensive weapons, and reserve safety Darnell Lacy on notice that if they don’t improve their performance in the classroom, they won’t be performing on the football field.

After already suspending the players from spring practices--which conclude Saturday--earlier this month, Hackett suspended both players from USC’s Aug. 30 season opener against Purdue for not meeting the academic standards of the football team, sources close to the program said.

Hackett refused to say whether Soward and Lacy had been suspended from the opener, but said he met with the players, that the two are “dangerously close” to becoming academically ineligible and that he will suspend any player who fails to meet academic responsibilities.

“Being successful in the classroom is our top priority,” Hackett said Tuesday. “I am looking for a commitment in the classroom. . . . I was not receiving one from [Soward and Lacy].

Soward, who caught 48 passes for 831 yards and eight touchdowns last season, dropped a class this semester that left him without enough units to stay eligible under NCAA rules, sources said.

Hackett said Lacy, a reserve sophomore who redshirted last season, is faring worse academically than Soward.

Sources close to the athletic department said that Soward, a junior, will be able to make up the class during the summer term, which would keep him eligible as far as NCAA rules are concerned.

But then he must worry if that’s good enough for his coach. Hackett acknowledged that when he cracks down on players who are not going to class, he is sending a message to the rest of his team.

“This is a new era [in USC football],” Hackett said. “I want to be very clear that we take academics seriously.”