USC safety Dion Bailey will announce his plan for the future after the Las Vegas Bowl on Saturday, but, reading between the lines, it seems unlikely to involve a return to school.
"I'll announce after the bowl game. I don't want to announce before and be a distraction and all that," Bailey told the Los Angeles Times.
Announcing he will return wouldn't seem to be much of a distraction, but it's possible Bailey views a pre-bowl announcement of any kind as potentially shifting the focus away from the game.
Bailey leads the Trojans with five interceptions this season to go along with 58 tackles, 4.5 tackles for loss and six pass breakups, but would be playing for his third head coach -- not counting offensive coordinator Clay Helton's upcoming one-game stint as coach against Fresno State -- should he return for his redshirt senior season.
Alternating between outside linebacker and safety in his time at USC, Bailey (6-feet, 200 pounds) has always shown a knack for playing the ball, with 11 career interceptions.
Should Bailey declare for the draft, USC has the talented tandem of Su'a Cravens, named to several Freshman All-America teams after posting four interceptions this season, and Leon McQuay ready to step in.
Follow Dan Greenspan on Twitter @DanGreenspan.
