Dwayne Jarrett
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
| Dwayne Jarrett | |
|---|---|
 Jarrett (#8) in the huddle during a 2006 game |
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| Date of birth | September 11, 1986 (age 20) |
| Place of birth | New Brunswick, New Jersey |
| Height | 6 ft 4 in (1.93 m) |
| Weight | 220 lb (100 kg) |
| Position(s) | WR |
| College | Southern California |
| NFL Draft | 2007 / Round TBD |
| Career Highlights | |
| Awards | 2005 and 2006 All-American |
Dwayne Jarrett (born September 11, 1986 in New Brunswick, New Jersey) is a wide receiver for the University of Southern California Trojans.
He is often referred to as "DJ".
Contents |
[edit] College career
Through a successful college career, Jarrett was USC's all-time receptions leader with 216 and the Pacific 10 Conference's all-time leader in touchdown receptions with 41.[1]
As a freshman, he helped Trojan fans get over the loss of former USC standout wide receiver, Mike Williams. He played in all 13 games and started 8 of them. He caught 55 passes for 849 yards and 13 touchdowns. He also made 5 catches for 115 yards in USC's FedEx Orange Bowl victory over Oklahoma in 2004.
As a sophomore, he made a big leap, becoming Matt Leinart's favorite target. He recorded 91 receptions for 1,274 yards including 16 touchdowns while starting all 13 games in 2005. He will be remembered by many fans for his clutch grab against Notre Dame. On fourth-and-nine with less than a minute left, Matt Leinart threw a pass down the sideline to him and Jarrett caught it, running for 61 yards to set up the winning touchdown, the famed and controversial "Bush Push" QB sneak. He also came up big in USC's Rose Bowl loss to the Texas Longhorns with 10 catches for 121 yards and a touchdown.
He was a 2005 First-team All-American as a sophomore and one of three finalists for the Biletnikoff Award. He was on the 2006 Maxwell Award watch list as the best player in college football.
His height, hands, and surprising quickness make him one of the premier receivers going into the 2006 college football season. He is expected to be a big part of the Trojan's offense, considering the departure of former Trojan running backs Reggie Bush and LenDale White. He was selected to the 2006 Playboy All-American team.
After a brief period of ineligibility due to his apparently inappropriate living situation with Matt Leinart, the NCAA reinstated him on August 9th, 2006, making him eligible to play for the 2006 football season. Despite being hampered by injuries, including missing games, Jarrett was named to the rivals.com and Pac-10 Coaches 2006 All Pac-10 team First Team[2]. He was also second team All-America at rivals.com and SI and Walter Camp foundation first team All-America. However, because of his lack of playing time, Jarrett was left off the 2006 list of Biletnikoff Award finalists, an omission noted by some sports writers.[3]
On January 1, 2007, he was named offensive MVP of the Rose Bowl Game with a career high 203 receiving yards and two touchdowns in the 32-18 win over Michigan. Jarrett finished the 2006 season as USC's all time leading receiver with 216 catches[4][5] The junior, a two-time All-American, had 70 catches for 1,015 yards and led the Trojans with 12 touchdowns in his final year season.
Projected as a 1st round pick in the 2007 NFL Draft, on January 10, 2007 Jarrett declared his intent to leave USC early to enter the NFL.[1] At a press conference, the tearful Jarrett noted the best part of his USC career was being with his "teammates" but that he was "definitely doing it for my family, because I wasn't the most fortunate kid growing up."[1]
[edit] High school career
He attended New Brunswick High School in New Brunswick, New Jersey. He was a 2003 Parade All-American, Super Prep All-American, Prep Star All-American, Super Prep Elite 50, Prep Star Top 100 Dream Team, Super Prep All-Northeast Offensive MVP, and Prep Star All-East. He was also New Jersey's Offensive Pick of the Year as a senior wideout and defensive back. He scored 26 touchdowns as a senior (with three of those touchdowns coming in New Brunswick's 21-14 state title victory), including 5 on 15 punt returns (for a 48 yard return average). He also played basketball in high school.
[edit] Personal
Jarrett credits his ability to growing up and playing catch with his uncle who "forced me to make one-handed catches."[6]
During his sophomore year, Jarrett shared a Los Angeles apartment with quarterback Matt Leinart.
Jarrett's cousin, Desmond Belton, currently is a wide receiver at the University of Idaho. Like Jarrett, he was born in New Brunswick, New Jersey.
Jarrett has had some of his best college games against USC's rival, the University of Notre Dame, he credits this to how he was treated during the high school recruiting process: "They came down to recruit me, they talked to my coaches and everything. They didn't think I was intelligent enough to go to their school. That was kind of an insult to me. I've always had a little grudge against them."[7]
[edit] References
- ^ a b c Gary Klein, NFL challenge next for Jarrett, Los Angeles Times, January 11, 2007, Accessed 01/11/2007.
- ^ .2006 All Pac-10 team, scout.com, November 27, 2006.
- ^ Stewart Mandel, Five Things We Learned This Weekend, sportsillustrated.com, November 26, 2006.
- ^ High-octane USC finds fast lane, SeattlePI.nwsource.com, January 2, 2006.
- ^ Stewart Mandel, November reign: USC again shows it's at its best at the season's end, sportsillustrated.com, November 26, 2006.
- ^ David Wharton, Jarrett is once again at his best against Irish, The Los Angeles Times, November 26, 2006.
- ^ Jarrett had extra incentive against Irish, ESPN.com, November 26, 2006.
