Pete ThamelESPN
The most prolific artist to enter the NCAA transfer portal this off-season has found a destination.
Former Pittsburgh wide receiver Jordan Addison will transfer to USC to play this fall announced on social media Thursday.
— Jordan Addison (@Espn_Jordan) May 19, 2022
Addison made an official visit to USC over the weekend and will reunite with star, sophomore quarterback Caleb Williams, as both hail from the Washington, DC area. Addison’s decision to move to USC gives coach Lincoln Riley the two most significant transfer signings of the season, as Addison and Williams were arguably the most coveted players to enter the portal.
In his statement posted on social media, Addison described the decision as “very difficult” and said he would always be grateful to the University of Pittsburgh.
“Winning an ACC Championship is forever ours. Those true friendships will last. A part of me will always be H2P,” he wrote.
“I have now carefully considered the advice of my family and close friends and fully weighed both the risks and benefits of my decision. I also respect that others may make a different choice. But for me, I will fully develop as a student- athlete by registering with the USC.”
Addison took All-American honors with the first team in Pittsburgh last season and won the Biletnikoff Award for the nation’s most outstanding receiver. He entered the NCAA transfer portal on May 3, making visits to USC and Texas. He considered staying in Pitt and also considered Alabama and Oregon, but attended neither school.
Addison’s move west is a blow to Pittsburgh as the defending ACC champion lost its best returning player after being knocked out 11-3 last season. Going 4-8, USC has rebuilt its roster so significantly in Riley’s first year that a majority of the starters next season are expected to come from the NCAA transfer portal.
Pitt coach Pat Narduzzi had multiple controversial phone calls with Riley shortly after Addison entered the portal, sources told ESPN earlier this month. However, no known evidence of manipulation has emerged.
Addison’s transfer is seen as a beacon of a season full of change. The idea of an established underclassman show jumping program was not something that happened in college football until recently. Thanks to a spate of rule changes – particularly one-off transfer rules – fluid player movement has become a part of the sports landscape.
While Williams’ transfer was viewed as a clash of a one-time transfer and the rules of name, image and likeness, it was viewed through a different prism as his Oklahoma college coach, Riley, left for USC and Williams followed. Addison’s transfer to USC reinforced the reality that all rosters are fluid and the sport’s biggest stars can jump from program to program with relative ease.
Sources made it clear to ESPN throughout the process that Addison’s professional future would guide his decision-making.
The addition of Addison puts USC one of the best wide receiver duos in the country as he joins Oklahoma transfer Mario Williams there. Addison caught 100 passes for 1,593 yards and 17 touchdowns last season. He projects as a first-round NFL draft pick in 2023, but at 6 feet and 175 pounds, he’s unlikely to make the top 10.
Mario Williams, who earned ESPN True Freshman All-American honors last year, caught 35 balls for 380 yards and four touchdowns. Brenden Rice, the son of NFL legend Jerry Rice, also came over from Colorado, where he averaged 14.2 yards per catch last season.
Addison’s transfer further cements the optimism behind Riley’s tenure at USC, as the lures of the common offenses he accrued and called in Oklahoma have moved to Los Angeles. While USC’s offensive line has questions and its defense was one of the worst in the conference last season, there are key players who have stepped over to rejuvenate the Trojans on the attacking side of the ball.
#Pittsburgh #star #Addison #moves #USC
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