Jordan Addison is on the move to USC
Former Pittsburgh star and Biletnikoff Award winner Jordan Addison announced on Twitter that he will be transferring to USC for the upcoming college football season.
Addison’s transfer comes as no surprise as he was the biggest name left in the NCAA transfer portal. Addison chose the Trojans after taking visits to USC and Texas. Alabama and Oregon were rumored to be in play as well. Despite that, Addison never ended up visiting either school. At the same time, he also left the door open for a return to Pittsburgh.
Addison had a great 2021 campaign where he finished with 100 receptions, 1,593 receiving yards, and 17 receiving touchdowns. On the ground, he added 56 yards and one rushing touchdown. This success led to him being named a first-team All-American and Biletnikoff Award winner. As a result, next season will likely be Addison’s last in the NCAA as he is one of the top wide receiver prospects in next year’s NFL draft.
Entering his junior season Addison will look to replicate this success on a reformed USC team. At the helm for the Trojans, will be former Oklahoma coach Lincoln Riley. Along with Riley, USC was able to get Oklahoma quarterback Caleb Williams who followed his former head coach to Los Angeles.
The USC offense will receive a push as fellow receiver transfers Mario Williams and Brendan Rice will join Addison. Mario Williams is another Oklahoma transfer who saw success in Norman. In 2021, he compiled 35 receptions for 380 yards and four touchdowns. Rice is the son of Jerry Rice and is coming in from Colorado. Last season he logged 21 receptions for 299 yards and three touchdowns. With a new head coach, quarterback, and more playmakers, USC seems poised to improve on their 4-8 record from last year
On the other hand, this move leaves defending ACC champions Pittsburgh with yet another pair of shoes to fill. On the offensive side of the ball, Pitt has lost their two best players. With Kenny Pickett in the NFL, they will turn to USC transfer Kedon Slovis to lead the offense. Thankfully, Pittsburg will return four starting offensive linemen and lead rusher Israel Abanikanda. With this group, Pat Narduzzi will do his best to return to the ACC championship game.
There has been a decent amount of online speculation surrounding Addison’s transfer. Many believe that tampering was in play and that the NCAA’s new name, image, and likeness rules played a major role in the move to USC. At this point, there is no concrete evidence but enough speculation to cause concern.
Regardless of what caused this move to USC, Addison shook up the landscape of the 2022 college football season. More importantly, future college stars may see this move from Addison and attempt to test the NIL market as well.
