99 Best USC Football Players By Jersey Number

No. 97 Malik Jackson

The ‘90s aren’t the most plentiful numbers in Trojan history, having only been circulation for the last 25 to 30 years, so the best No. 97 in school history winds up being a player that left USC for greener pastures, Malik Jackson.

Jackson was the most notable casualty of USC’s sanctions in 2010, which enabled all upper classmen to freely transfer to another school. He took advantage by swapping places with Lane Kiffin and landing in Tennessee.

It was a sizeable loss for the Trojans, as Jackson had started to make an impact in the defensive line rotation and was expected to really take hold of a starting position had he not transferred.

Jackson played in every game in 2009 as a sophomore, totaling 3.5 sacks. He had three tackles in the Emerald Bowl win over Boston College.

At Tennessee, Jackson came into his own and recorded 26 tackles for loss in two seasons.