Sylmar’s Casey Picks Western New Mexico

Former Sylmar High running back Jerome Casey, considered one of the area’s best players when he graduated from high school in 1990, will play football this fall at Western New Mexico, an NAIA school in Silver City, N.M., Casey said Thursday.

Casey committed to USC upon graduation but failed to score the 700 points required on the SAT for athletic eligibility. He said that an assistant coach at USC gave him the option of attending a junior college in California or playing for a year at Western New Mexico in order to gain eligibility at USC.

The 5-foot-11 1/2 Casey plans to transfer to USC after one year, provided he posts a grade-point average of 2.0 or higher at Western New Mexico. He would be a sophomore in eligibility at USC in the fall of 1992, if all goes according to plan.