USC Football: 3 reasons why Adoree’ Jackson will be a Heisman Candidate in 2016

Since joining the Trojan football program in 2014, Adoree’ Jackson has made an immediate impact on the field in almost every way. From shutting down a team’s best receiver to taking punts for touchdowns, Jackson is a game changer. Let’s not mention he can also play receiver as well which teams have seen his incredible athletic abilities. There has been a number of college football players who have been 3 way stars from Charles Woodson to Champ Bailey. Jackson has the chance to be help solidify his case as the greatest multi-positional threat in school history. Heisman voters should be taking real good notes this year.

Evolving into an Elite Shutdown Corner

With Jackson being an elite athlete, he has stated that he would like to focus on cornerback more. His skills on the defensive side will be needed despite already having a solid core group of returner’s coming back and newcomers. He already has the athletic talent to compete with the best receivers in the nation with his elite speed and being an All-American long jumper in track and field. There were not too many receivers that could run past Jackson and if they did manage to, his makeup speed got him right back in position. Last season he only had one interception with ten pass deflections but the stats really do not show how good he was. He recently said he wanted to shadow star Alabama Wide Receiver Calvin Ridley in the season opener which shows he is hungry to prove a point to the rest of the nation.

All-Purpose Machine

During the 2015 season, Jackson was the only player in the country to have at least 400 receiving yards, 600 kickoff return yards, 200 punt return yards, and 30 tackles. The versatility in his game is only attainable by a few athletes. Trying to game plan against Jackson is tough which many teams have had little success in doing. For example in the Notre Dame game, the plan was to punt the ball to him low and far away from him as possible. It worked because he was not able to field a single punt all game. Despite that tactic, he was still able to show his speed on a beautiful 83 yard touchdown in which he sprinted through the entire defense. Jackson’s ability to make game changing plays in all three phases will keep opponents on their toes because he could break for a big play at any moment.

Shows up in Big Games

Winning a Heisman requires you to show up when your team really needs you. Whether it’s a rivalry game or non-conference game and your team is down, the stars of the team are expected to step up. Last season in their big win over cross town rival UCLA, Jackson had a huge punt return for a touchdown that helped give USC momentum. There was also his first pick six against Cal on the road and the Holiday Bowl his freshman year against Nebraska where he just could not be stopped by anyone. Now that the nation knows he is an elite threat, Jackson is posed to create even more memories as he is hungrier than ever. If USC plans to win a Pac-12 title and compete for a spot in the college football playoffs, number 2 will need to create highlight reel plays every weekend. For USC fans, we know it is possible.