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31m ago

USC’s JuJu Watkins to Miss 2025–26 Season to Continue ACL Recovery

She will take a medical redshirt to preserve eligibility during a medically guided ACL rehabilitation.

Southern California Trojans guard JuJu Watkins (12) during pregame warmups before an NCAA Tournament game against the Mississippi State Bulldogs in Los Angeles on March 24, 2025.
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Mar 24, 2025; Los Angeles, California, USA; USC Trojans guard JuJu Watkins (12) during pregame warmups before an NCAA Tournament second round game against the Mississippi State Bulldogs at Galen Center. Mandatory Credit: Robert Hanashiro-Imagn Images

Overview

  • Watkins announced on Instagram that she will sit out the season, a decision USC confirmed in a team statement Sunday night.
  • She tore the ACL in her right knee on March 24 during USC’s NCAA Tournament second-round win over Mississippi State.
  • Sports-medicine guidance cited in reports places typical ACL return-to-play timelines at roughly 12 to 18 months.
  • The medical redshirt preserves her college eligibility, and under current WNBA rules she would not be draft-eligible until 2027.
  • Coach Lindsay Gottlieb voiced full support for the plan as USC retools around No. 1 recruit Jazzy Davidson and other newcomers following offseason departures.