College Football: OCC’s Janzon loses USC scholarship

Steve Virgen

COSTA MESA - Martin Janzon, a star linebacker for the Orange Coast

College football team last fall, will not play at USC as he intended,

because he does not meet NCAA Division I eligibility requirements.

NCAA rules state that club/team sports played for a season after an

athlete’s 21st birthday are considered one Division I playing year, USC

Sports Information Director Tim Tessalone said.

Janzon, 25, who earned JC All-American status and was a first-team

all-conference player last season, began his “eligibility clock” when he

played club football in Sweden. His club participation, added to two

years as a starter for OCC, leave him with no remaining NCAA Division I

eligibility.

“I’ve been working hard to get a scholarship these past two years,”

Janzon said. “This is hard for me. I have the ability to play Division I

and there is just one little thing that is keeping from doing that.”

Janzon said he plans to appeal. He will first take action with USC and

the school will then seek out reinstatement with the NCAA.

“This is a rule I didn’t know about,” Janzon said. “I’m just trying

hard to work at this appeal. If that doesn’t go through, I’ll have to

start making major decisions on what I want to do.”

OCC Coach Mike Taylor said USC contacted former OCC linebacker Dustin

Davis about a scholarship, but Davis had already committed to West

Virginia Wesleyan.

Janzon, the 6-foot-3, 225-pound weakside linebacker, impressed Trojans

Coach Pete Carroll last month in a private workout, prompting the

scholarship offer, Taylor said. Janzon’s 3.64 GPA also made him an

attractive recruit.

Janzon’s 198 tackles as a Pirate rank eighth on the school’s all-time

list. His 139 tackles last fall rank seventh in OCC single-season annals.

USC will investigate any possible aspect to gain Janzon’s eligibility,

“but the likelihood of that occurring is not good,” Tessalone said.