One-time Notre Dame target Ty Isaac leaves USC

USC running back Ty Isaac, a former Notre Dame recruiting target, will transfer this summer to be closer to home, the Trojans announced Wednesday.

USCFootball.com, a member of the Rivals network, first broke the news and spoke with the former five-star running back set to be a sophomore in the fall.

"I've been released from my scholarship at USC," Isaac told the website. "It was based on a family decision. My mom isn't well so I wanted to be closer to my family."

Isaac, a native of Shorewood, Ill., completed his high school career at Joliet Catholic Academy in a southwest suburb of Chicago. There he gained a number of all-American accolades following a senior season with more than 1,500 rushing yards and 22 touchdowns. He finished his career with 5,305 rushing yards.

Notre Dame maintained interest in Isaac leading up to the 2013 signing day but couldn’t keep him away from the Trojans. Rivals ranked Isaac as a five-star prospect, the No. 4 running back and No. 27 overall in his class. 247Sports slated him as a four-star prospect, the No. 5 all-purpose back and No. 85 overall.

The Irish could find room for the 6-foot-3, 225-pound running back if interested. Notre Dame returns three scholarship running backs this fall — senior Cam McDaniel and sophomore Tarean Folston and Greg Bryant — but landed zero in the 2014 recruiting class. The Irish currently hold no verbal commitments with running backs in the 2015 recruiting class either.

Myriad Big Ten schools and Notre Dame will be rumored as destinations for Isaac, but the running back said he doesn’t have a specific place in mind yet. He tallied 40 rushes for 236 yards and two touchdowns as a freshman last season.

"I haven't thought about schools yet," Isaac told USCFootball.com. "I'm still thinking about who I'm interested in. I talked to my family about it here and there. Obviously before you get released you can't talk to schools. Now that I am released, I'll let some schools know that I'm available and go from there."

It’s unclear whether Isaac will be restricted from transferring to certain schools or whether his situation will dictate sitting out a year without a family hardship waiver. Former USC running back Amir Carlisle transferred to Notre Dame in 2012 but missed that season with an injury. Carlisle will be a senior wide receiver for the Irish this fall.

Twitter: @TJamesNDI