Cornerback, wide receiver leave the USC football team

South Carolina senior Rico McWilliams, a starter at cornerback last season who had fallen out of the top defensive back rotation this season, has left the program, head coach Will Muschamp said Monday.

McWilliams has decided to give up football, Muschamp said.

Redshirt freshman receiver Christian Owens also has left the team, Muschamp announced.

McWilliams missed several days of preseason camp for personal reasons, but he returned to the team and met with the media Friday.

“The family thing was OK. I wanted to get back in the defense and the scheme of things,” McWilliams said. “Right now, I just have to focus on Vanderbilt. I am back with the team and have to stay focused.”

McWilliams, a Georgia native, has started 18 games in the last three years. He started 10 games last year and had 32 tackles. A former three-star recruit, he had 33 tackles as a sophomore in 2013.

Rashad Fenton, Chris Lammons and Jamarcus King are the team’s top three cornerbacks at the moment, Muschamp said.

The 6-foot-5 Owens, from Griffin, Ga., signed with the Gamecocks in the 2015 class after originally committing to Georgia. He was battling for a spot as a backup.

This story was originally published August 29, 2016 at 1:04 PM with the headline "Cornerback, wide receiver leave the USC football team."