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USC’s Julian Jacobs to sign with an agent, turn professional

Julian Jacobs

Southern California guard Julian Jacobs (12) dunks on Washington State forward Junior Longrus (15) in the second half of an NCAA college basketball game, Friday, Jan. 1, 2016, in Pullman, Wash. Southern California beat Washington State 90-77.(AP Photo/Ted S. Warren)

AP

USC guard Julian Jacobs will sign with an agent and forego his final season of college eligibility, a source confirmed to NBCSports.com.

Jacobs averaged 11.6 points, 5.5 assists and 4.9 boards for the Trojans last season, operating in the dual-point guard back court that Andy Enfield employed. A terrific athlete at 6-foot-3, Jacobs was one of the more entertaining players in the country to watch this past season given the style with which USC played.

But all of the info that Jacobs had received during the process told him to return to school. He wasn’t invited to the draft combine and the consensus seems to be that if he someone plays his way into getting drafted, it will be as a late-second round pick.

Losing Jacobs is a major blow for the Trojans, who looked like they could legitimately compete with Arizona and Oregon for a Pac-12 title next season. They’re still a tournament team and a top 25 team without Jacobs -- Jordan McLaughlin’s presence is the biggest reason why -- but Jacobs was something of a steadying presence in their back court. And if they end up losing Nikola Jovanovic as well, Andy Enfield’s team may take a step backwards from last season.

The news was first reported by ESPN.