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In another universe, DeSean Jackson might have played college football at USC.
After Jackson’s documentary, “Go Deep,” officially aired on Amazon Prime on Thursday, it showed what a recruiting visit looked like from Pete Carroll and Ed Orgeron.
After Jackson’s senior season at Long Beach Poly concluded, Carroll and Orgeron came over to Jackson’s home in Long Beach to make one last sales pitch to attend USC.
“[Their excitement] has been the same since we saw you. You showed us who you are. And we saw the support that you have that makes up what’s helped you immensely,” Carroll said. “We know this is gonna work.”
After Carroll was done, it was Orgeron’s turn to speak.
The former defensive line coach and recruiting coordinator’s sales pitch to Jackson and his family was prioritizing how close Long Beach Poly is to USC’s campus — roughly 21 miles apart.
Orgeron joked with him that it would cost his family about $3 a gallon in gas to come see him at the Coliseum. But then spoke about being able to see them when he needs them most.
“Our practices are always open to the families, OK,” Orgeron said. “There’s gonna be a day when you’re gonna need to see these guys.”
“So we can get this thing done, and you can come to SC. Cause I know you’re gonna come to SC.”
After Orgeron was done speaking, Jackson and his family had a nice laugh about the former national champion’s words.
Coming out of the Class of 2005, Jackson was considered one of the most prolific receivers in high school football. He had more than 100 scholarship offers from almost every major college in the country, including Oklahoma, LSU, Florida State, Miami and USC.
For most of his recruitment, Jackson was committed to play at USC, but he backed out of his decision after Carroll couldn’t promise him the No.1 jersey number — the same number he wore in high school.
Patrick Turner was wearing the No.1 jersey at the time, and Jackson told the LA Times in 2021 that he felt disrespected by the team’s decision to give away the number it promised him. He also added he believed they gave other recruits better treatment.
Despite USC being in the prime of the Carroll era, when it won two national championships, Jackson elected to enroll with the Trojans’ Pac-10 rival at the time, California, which was coached by Jeff Tedford. He wore the No.1 jersey there.
At the time, Aaron Rodgers was about to enter the NFL draft, and the school still had Marshawn Lynch in its program for another two years.
Jackson played three seasons with the Golden Bears and had 1,060 receiving yards and nine touchdowns during his sophomore season.
