Thomas to Sit Out Season

After a failed last-ditch effort to avoid surgery, USC freshman quarterback Jason Thomas will undergo arthroscopic surgery to remove scar tissue in his left ankle and sit out the season, using his redshirt year.

“This is the best thing for me in the long run,” said Thomas, who broke the ankle in a game last year at Compton Dominguez High and was hampered by soreness during training camp. “I’ve got to take care of my body.”

Thomas, a prized quarterback recruit along with Carson Palmer, underwent surgery last year after the injury and later appeared in a playoff game and played basketball. But he struggled in training camp, and a couple of weeks of rest didn’t solve the problem.

“The MRI showed we’re dealing with a scar tissue issue, and the doctors feel going in and ‘scoping the ankle is clearly the right thing to do,” Coach Paul Hackett said, adding Thomas is expected back for spring practice.

Losing Thomas raises the emergency quarterback issue, and quarterback-turned-receiver Quincy Woods is the most obvious candidate, though Hackett said he’ll address that later.

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Safety Grant Pearsall said he’ll probably sit out Saturday unless his sprained right knee feels much stronger. . . . Hackett named freshman Frank Strong the No. 3 tailback behind starter Chad Morton and Petros Papadakis, who is taking over for Malaefou MacKenzie after season-ending knee surgery. Hackett called freshman Sultan McCullough a redshirt candidate. . . . Tackle Ken Bowen resumed practicing and has an official’s OK to play with a taped and padded metal brace on his injured elbow.