USC defensive tackle Kenny Bigelow confirmed that he will move into a player coaching role, effectively ending his playing career on Wednesday.
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Bigelow responded to a tweet by USCFootball.com's Ryan Abraham reporting the news and expressed his gratitude to the athletic program and head coach Clay Helton.
DT Kenny Bigelow will move into a player coaching role, so his career playing at USC is over.
— Ryan Abraham (@insidetroy) October 18, 2017
Would like to thank @USC_Athletics and @USCCoachHelton for everything they’ve done for me and for the opportunity to help this team FightOn https://t.co/lU0ERsa5CC
— Kenny Bigelow (@_mcmxcv__) October 18, 2017
Helton confirmed that Bigelow's history of injuries played a major factor in his decision.
"He's kinda taking a step back from the football aspect of things after two knee surgeries and really going to help us in coaching," head coach Clay Helton said after practice on Tuesday.
Bigelow recorded one tackle this season and was inactive for last week's win over Utah. At the time, Helton told reporters that the defensive lineman was working through some "personal issues."
Last season, Bigelow was dubbed "Coach Bigelow" by Helton as he took on a leadership role with the Trojans while sidelined with injuries.
"His aspiration after football is to be a coach, so he's going to mentor some young kids for us and be around this team in a different role," Helton said on Tuesday.
Bigelow, a former five-star prospect, has dealt with injuries throughout his college career. After redshirting in 2013, he suffered torn ligaments in his knee prior to the 2014 season.
Bigelow went through rehabilitation before returning in 2015 and, despite being limited, showed potential before being sidelined due to another knee injury in 2016.
