Five-star Adoree' Jackson has stood out all over USC's offense, defense and special teams units making big-time plays during the first two weeks of the season. Making his presence felt returning kicks, working on punt coverage, catching passes and covering slot wideouts, Jackson has thrived from day one.
Against Stanford, Jackson was put under immense pressure battling against deep threat Ty Montgomery, batting away a key pass on a high end zone toss from Kevin Hogan. He also was matched up one-on-one against Montgomery with no safety help on Stanford's final offensive play. Hogan was looking toward the Montgomery/Adoree' matchup and loading up to test Jackson once again when he was drilled in the back by J.R. Tavai.
Along with catching a touchdown and returning a kick against Fresno State, Jackson continues to be utilized in a versatile fashion.
In the video above, defensive coordinator Justin Wilcox talks about the freshmen class and how nothing has been scaled back for Jackson on the defensive side of the ball.
Justin Wilcox: "Adoree' (Jackson) is a talented kid, We have confidence in him and he's gotta continue to get better, which I think he will the more he plays."
Going back to that one-on-one battle with Ty Montgomery, the vibrant cornerback prospect finally felt acclimated to the collegiate game after fighting for the football against Stanford's best deep threat for a good portion of the second half.
"It still hasn't hit me really that I'm playing college football," Adoree' Jackson told LA Daily News USC beat writer Scott Wolf on Wednesday. "It was crazy. I wasn't thinking about (pass interference). Most defensive backs do because they are nervous. It was a fight for the ball. It was just two athletes fighting for the ball."
The talented freshman will once again be a large part of USC's game plan, both on offense and defense, as the 9th-ranked Trojans head east on Thursday afternoon for their longest road trip of the season facing the Boston College Eagles.