JuJu Watkins to Sit Out 2025-26 Season at USC to Rehab a Torn ACL

JuJu Watkins announced Sunday that she will miss the entire 2025-26 college basketball season as she continues to rehabilitate the torn anterior cruciate ligament she suffered March 24 in the second round of the NCAA tournament against Mississippi State. The 20-year-old guard made the decision public in a social media post, saying she will follow her doctors’ advice and focus on recovery at USC.

"Following the advice of my doctors and trainers, I will sit out this season and fully focus on continuing to recover so I can come back to the game I love," Watkins wrote. She added that the months since the injury have been "filled with a lot of healing, rest, and reflection" and thanked supporters for their messages during a difficult period.

Watkins had one of the most decorated seasons in recent women’s college basketball history in 2024-25, when she was the consensus national player of the year, earned major awards including the Naismith Trophy and AP Player of the Year, and was a first-team All-American. She averaged 23.9 points, 6.8 rebounds and 3.4 assists per game in her sophomore season and ranks among USC’s career scoring leaders. Medical timelines for a torn ACL typically...