The USC Trojans were down a receiver at this weekend’s scrimmage after sophomore Markeith Ambles failed to attend.
After a tumultuous first year as a Trojan, wide receiver Markeith Ambles missed this weekend's scrimmage, leaving his critics - and his coaches - wondering if he wants to be a Trojan.
Ambles’ unexplained and unexpected absence is the latest in a string of setbacks for the wide receiver, who was kept out of Thursday’s practice and forced to run laps after being late to a team weightlifting session earlier in the week.
The talented receiver has so far struggled to live up to expectations since enrolling at USC. Last fall, he and fellow freshman Dillon Baxter were disciplined for being late to team activities. Ambles was later suspended from the team for failing to meet academic expectations. USC announced over winter break that Ambles was no longer part of the team, only to have him rejoin several weeks later.
Just a week ago, Ambles told the Daily News’ Scott Wolf he’d contacted other schools about transferring before ultimately deciding: “This was the place where I wanted to be and change myself.”
With Ronald Johnson graduating and Robert Woods taking over as the number one starter, a focused Ambles would’ve had a shot at winning the second spot, particularly after redshirt freshman Kyle Prater missed some time with a fractured foot.
He said he’d bought into the system and expected to start, but after today, it’s unclear whether Ambles will have a spot on the team, let alone on the starting roster.
“He wasn’t here this morning,” head coach Lane Kiffin said. “We went on as normal. We’ll figure it out.”
ESPNLosAngeles’s Pedro Moura wrote that Kiffin was concerned about Ambles’ behavior after the receiver failed to appear at the scrimmage – or even to notify anyone of his whereabouts. It almost seems as if Ambles boycotted the scrimmage after being held out of practice.
“You’d like to see guys continue to mature, like some of the other freshmen,” Kiffin said. So far, it hasn’t happened, and Kiffin should be worried.
Ambles, out of McDonough, Ga., originally committed to play at Tennessee when Kiffin was the Vols’ head coach. He decommitted and followed Kiffin to USC - but while Ambles was attached enough to the coach to change schools because of him, he doesn’t seem committed to the program now that he’s here.
It should be Kiffin’s responsibility to get to the root of the problem, to figure out why Ambles hasn’t been able to assimilate to the program and to either fix it or decide it’s not fixable and cut ties.
Is he homesick, and still struggling with being on the other side of the country from where he grew up? Is he unable to cope with the fact that at USC, he’s not the star anymore, just a small fish in the big pond? Are there other, possibly more serious issues? Or is Ambles just a punk who thinks he’s above rules and hard work?
It’s in the Trojans’ best interest to figure out what the problem is and to work with Ambles to solve it. He was highly-ranked out of high school and if he’s ever able to get on the field consistently, he has the potential to be very, very good. USC’s receiving corps, already stacked with young talent, would only improve if Ambles can shape up and become a productive contributor.
Maybe he should have a serious talk with his teammate and former partner-in-crime Dillon Baxter, who also got off to a rocky start as a freshman but has – so far, fingers crossed – gotten back on track this spring. Baxter underwhelmed after being suspended to start last season, but even if he doesn’t become USC’s next Heisman-winning star, he seems to at least have his mind right heading into his sophomore year.
Ambles still needs to reach that point, but if he isn’t willing to do what it takes, he has to go. No leaving and changing his mind and then becoming a disciplinary problem – he needs an ultimatum. Shape up or ship out. He should be offered (or forced to have) a support system to help him be successful, as should any struggling college student, but he needs to be told, in no uncertain terms, that if he doesn’t start acting like he wants to be part of the team, he will no longer be part of the team. And it won’t be his decision.
If it comes to that – and I hope it won’t, but if it does – it will be a tremendous waste of talent (not to mention a scholarship, at a time when those are scarce at ‘SC). Perhaps he’ll find another school that will take him in and he’ll have better luck. Perhaps he’ll fall through the cracks, left to wonder if he should’ve stayed at Rocky Top with Derek Dooley.
Or perhaps Kiffin will be able to connect with Ambles, as he clearly did while recruiting him, and help his player realize that by refusing to play by the rules, he’s only hurting himself and his future. If Kiffin can convince Ambles to get his act together and live up to his potential, everybody wins (unless they’re playing against USC, of course).
