On Monday, Ross Derenger of Yahoo Sports reported that USC and Notre Dame were unable to reach an agreement to extend their storied rivalry. The two schools have played each other almost every year for nearly a century, but are not expected to face off until 2026, or reportedly at least until 2030.
The news prompted a variety of reactions from countless people connected to the school and college football. Former USC star wide receiver Keyshawn Johnson was particularly saddened by the news. In a video posted to social media, Johnson blasted the Trojans for their role in ending the rivalry.
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“That’s what I’m going to say, man,” Johnson said. “I don’t know what the hell is going on with our athletic department. Our athletic department is not Trojans and they know nothing about being Trojans. Our head coach knows nothing about being Trojans. Why aren’t we playing football? How about that? We probably won’t play Notre Dame again until 2030, for all I know? That doesn’t make any sense. I grew up at Notre Dame.” Notre Dame’s rivalry with USC.
“I’m not a good fit for my athletic department and I’m not a good fit for USC football coaching. But if I remember correctly, I had Lincoln Riley talk about, well, I don’t know if I want to play against them in the future. You’re not going to be here in the future, especially if you keep missing the playoffs. You’re not going to be here in the future, I guarantee you.
“It’s crazy. If you think about it, it’s really crazy. Michigan-Ohio State, one of the biggest rivals in football. Alabama-Auburn, okay? They’re not going to cancel this. Why would we cancel our biggest rival? Because we can’t beat them? It’s ridiculous, it makes no sense, man. It’s hard to support this program. It’s hard, it’s really hard to support this program when we keep doing this, which I can’t, we need Trojans to do Trojan things, we don’t need imposters to do Trojan things.”
Riley’s long-term future at USC is a whole new topic that deserves its own story. It’s unclear to what extent Riley, rather than athletic department administration, was involved in the decision.
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But at the end of the day, it’s understandable that Johnson is so frustrated to see the competition coming to an end. For generations, playing Notre Dame in college football’s greatest crossover rivalry has been one of the career highlights for countless USC players. The fact that future Trojans won’t be able to experience this — at least for the next four years — is truly sad.
This article originally appeared on Trojans Wire: USC football alum Keyshawn Johnson tears up Trojans in Notre Dame series