Former 5-Star WR Shockingly Retires After Going Undrafted

In last month's 2025 NFL Draft, 11 ex-five-star recruits participated. Rivals Recruiting rankings from 2019-21 were excluded.

Among those who stood out were quarterback DJ Uiagalelei (from Clemson/Oregon State/Florida State), wide receiver Mario Williams (who played for Oklahoma/Tulane), and Julian Fleming ( Ohio State/Penn State). Despite the unsatisfactory outcome, similar to numerous other athletes, these individuals aim to secure spots in the NFL as undrafted free agents.

Nevertheless, yet another ex-five-star player who wasn’t selected during the draft has chosen a distinct path. The former University of Texas, USC, and Tennessee wide receiver Bru McCoy revealed through an announcement on X that he will be retiring from football for medical reasons.

Even though the player previously from Mater Dei enjoyed a fairly successful stint in college, he suffered a severe right ankle injury during a match against South Carolina in 2023, which put his future career at risk. According to his statement, this injury had the potential to end his athletic career prematurely.

Rather than moving on, he came back for one last season and accumulated 39 receptions for 472 yards along with two touchdowns.

McCoy was named the top athlete in the high school class of 2019 and experienced an unusually eventful recruitment process. Initially committing to USC, he transferred to Texas after only a few weeks. Following his time at Texas during the spring practices, he ultimately returned to USC.

McCoy only played one season with the Trojans. After head coach Clay Helton suspended him indefinitely due to his arrest for an alleged domestic violence incident in July 2021, things changed. Despite the charges being dismissed, McCoy wasn’t brought back into the team and eventually transferred to Tennessee, where he has been playing over the past three seasons.

Based on information from Fox’s Jordan Schultz, organizations were instructed Not to select him in April, since it’s evident now that McCoy intended to leave football behind.

Related: News Breaks About Travis Hunter Prior to the 2025 NFL Season