The USC Trojans have battled to a 10-1 start despite the injuries to Alijah Arenas, Amarion Dickerson, and arguably their best player, Rodney Rice. Rice suffered a right shoulder injury 6 games ago in USC’s 83-81 Maui Invitational semifinal win against Seton Hall. Before going down, Rice was averaging 20.3 points,3.3 rebounds, and 6.0 assists (team best).

Unfortunately, Rice was officially ruled out for the remainder of the season on December 17 and will undergo surgery. Within a day, the program has reportedly signed a replacement, which is not sitting well with the fans. “USC has added Robert Morris transfer Kam Woods to its roster as a midseason addition,” Joe Tipton reported.

To add to the scrutiny, this is Woods’ sixth program in six years. Initially, there was hope that Rice could return in January, but the Trojans and Rodney Rice ultimately had to turn to surgery. With the roster stretching thin and a tough schedule, a replacement was certainly necessary. The 6-foot-2 senior guard averaged 14.9 points, 4.7 rebounds, and 5.2 assists per game during the 2024–25 season at Robert Morris.

 In his only high-major appearance at NC State, he had a limited role off the bench, playing only 7.5 minutes per game. Woods will provide the Trojans with some guard depth. However, many feel this addition shouldn’t have been possible, raining down criticism on the NCAA. 

NCAA Rules Come Under Scrutiny After USC’s Midseason Rodney Rice Replacement

“This should not be allowed,” Wrote a fan. According to Connor Morrisette, Woods is eligible to finish the season at USC “because he did not play in a game during the fall semester at North Carolina State in 2023.”

Current NCAA rules permit immediate eligibility for graduate transfers or seniors in their final year of eligibility who enter the transfer portal, allowing midseason commitments without a sit-out period.

Before 2021, transfers generally required a one-year sit-out period, with rare exceptions for midseason moves, which were typically limited to graduate students or coaching changes. Undergraduates faced strict ineligibility. Midyear enrollment was possible, but playing immediately was very rare.

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However, in 2021, the NCAA introduced a one-time exception for first transfers, but multi-time transfers still needed a sit-out period. The current induction would likely not be happening without the 2024 change. 

Since April 2024, unlimited immediate eligibility has been granted to all academically eligible transfers entering during windows, allowing for more midseason additions.

However, it is only applicable because Woods had not played this semester and had entered the transfer portal in March. Most do not agree with this change, as another fan echoed, reflecting the public sentiment, “This is so stupid.” 

NIL has fundamentally reshaped college basketball. Players now play beyond the traditional 4-year period. The average age in college basketball has increased significantly. Players prefer earning millions while staying in college rather than getting drafted in the NBA.

Teams need financial support rather than clever scouting and development to become a good team. “We’re a year away from a college athletics trade deadline for NIL cash considerations and players. Broken system,”  announced a fan.

While those are valid concerns, this signing is more related to the 2024 rule change rather than NIL. Midseason signings were always allowed, but with a waiting period, and as long as the player was not on any other team in that semester.

That was the case for Kam Woods. “So was he just chillin’ in the portal this whole time?” Asked another fan. Essentially, the answer is yes. That was despite offers from multiple teams. 

He told Portal Report that schools like Pittsburgh, Duquesne, San Diego State, Wichita State, Texas A&M, Mason, UAB, Cincinnati, Kent State, Charlotte, and Ole Miss were interested. However, none of those materialized, and he did not return to Robert Morris.

His inefficient shooting splits of 37-29-60 may be a reason why interest remained stalled. Or Woods himself was waiting out for a high-major opportunity like USC.