It’s Better to Receive

The No. 5 and No. 11 USC jerseys, like the Heisman Trophy winners who wore them, are gone.

Now crowding the apparel racks at a local retailer near you: Dwayne Jarrett’s No. 8.

The All-American split end begins the season as the Trojans’ most bankable player, on and off the field.

Sports Illustrated put new quarterback John David Booty and offensive linemen Sam Baker and Ryan Kalil on a regional cover of its college football preview issue. But the 6-foot-5 Jarrett is the proven marquee performer in a program that produced Carson Palmer, Troy Polamalu, Mike Williams, Matt Leinart, Reggie Bush and LenDale White in the last four seasons.

“I sense it a lot,” Jarrett said. “That’s the role I’m put in right now. I just have to run with it.”

Jarrett, 19, does not seek the spotlight -- he is happy the cover of USC’s media guide features a prominent photo of him taken from behind -- but fans, teammates and the media have made him keenly aware that he cannot escape it.

USC’s coaching staff anticipates few major stumbles from the shy, introverted junior receiver who is only 62 catches shy of becoming USC’s career leader. Jarrett watched Bush and Leinart the last two seasons, absorbing much about the positives and negatives of celebrity.

“I don’t think a guy can be better prepared,” offensive coordinator Lane Kiffin said. “He lived with the most famous college player ever.”

That would be Leinart, the 2004 Heisman winner who returned for a final season of eligibility and the unprecedented media coverage that came with it. In 2005, Leinart and Jarrett shared a now-famous downtown apartment. The complex featured omnipresent security to protect the quarterback from curiosity seekers who followed him home and knocked on the door of his residence near campus during and after the 2004 season.

“Matt was always low key,” Jarrett said. “At home, he could be himself, he didn’t have to worry about camera people snapping pictures or somebody watching him; he could just be Matt.”

Jarrett said he observed Leinart in public situations as well and came away with a clear message.

“Always be aware of what you’re doing,” Jarrett said. “Just be careful. Even something innocent can turn into something big.”

Jarrett found out the hard way.

In June, the NCAA revoked Jarrett’s eligibility because he paid only $650 a month toward the $3,866-a-month rent on the apartment. Leinart had also paid $650, and his father paid the rest. The NCAA reinstated Jarrett a few weeks ago, but he must pay about $5,000 to charity over the course of his eligibility.

Last week, Jarrett and offensive lineman Thomas Herring were briefly detained on campus after they accepted a ride to practice in a car police suspected of having been used in a crime. Jarrett said he knew the driver, a woman who was questioned and released.

“I’m learning a whole lot of lessons,” Jarrett said, shaking his head. “They’re innocent, but at the same time I’m learning.”

Jarrett’s learning curve mostly has been an upward arc since he overcame a well-documented bout with homesickness after arriving from New Jersey in 2004.

“He was like a fish without water, literally, with everything,” recalled Chris Ruffin, a cousin who had moved to Southern California from New Jersey a few years earlier and has served as Jarrett’s guardian and mentor.

Jarrett did not have much time to wallow on the field. Two days before the Trojans’ season opener against Virginia Tech, the NCAA ruled Williams ineligible for the season. With a crowd of more than 90,000 at FedEx Field and a national television audience watching, Jarrett went up against Hokies cornerback Jimmy Williams, the Atlanta Falcons’ top pick in last April’s NFL draft.

Jarrett caught only two passes for eight yards.

“Jimmy Williams roughed him up so bad I wanted to jump out there on the field,” Ruffin recalled. “But after that day, he realized, ‘OK, all that I did in high school is done and over with.’ ”

Five games later, Jarrett caught five passes for 139 yards and three touchdowns against Arizona State, re-triggering preseason comparisons to Williams. Last season, he hauled in a team-best 91 passes, including a clutch 61-yard reception on a fourth-and-nine play at Notre Dame that set up the winning touchdown and an epic Trojan victory.

“I think I learned how to handle pressure well because I was thrown into the flames at a young age,” he said. “People always ask me, ‘That Notre Dame catch? Were you nervous?’ I tell them no. Honestly, I wasn’t.”

Now that Jarrett has flirted with the national spotlight, Coach Pete Carroll does not expect that he will have problems handling it. Mike Williams and former USC receiver Keyshawn Johnson welcomed attention. Jarrett simply accepts it.

The Terrell Owens model does not fit.

“He’s a very humble kid,” Carroll said. “Wide receivers can’t help but watch all those wide receivers and how they handle themselves. He’s not anywhere near that kind of mentality.”

Jarrett was hindered by a quadriceps injury throughout training camp, but he is eager to begin the season and plans to be in the starting lineup when the Trojans play at Arkansas on Sept. 2.

Jarrett said the transition from Leinart to John David Booty has been smooth.

“John David is striking it,” Jarrett said. “His arm is definitely as strong as Matt’s, or even stronger, but at the same time he’s accurate so I can’t complain about it.”

After watching Bush, White and three other 2005 teammates forgo remaining eligibility and make themselves available for the NFL draft, Jarrett is in no hurry to decide whether he will do the same.

“Right now, I’m here and planning on staying,” he said. “I’m not even thinking about that.

“I’m just trying to win with my team and enjoy the college experience. All that will come later. It’s always going to be there. I’m just trying to have fun now.”

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(BEGIN TEXT OF INFOBOX)

Star power

Dwayne Jarrett’s game-by-game performance in 2005:

*--* Opponent Rec Yds Avg. TD LG Hawaii 7 88 12.6 3 28 Arkansas 4 79 19.8 2 38 Oregon 8 94 11.8 2 18 Arizona State 7 90 12.9 0 23 Arizona 9 116 12.9 2 29 Notre Dame 4 101 25.3 0 61 Washington 7 95 13.6 3 24 Washington State 11 200 18.2 1 33 Stanford 8 101 12.6 1 30 California 5 69 13.8 0 44 Fresno State 5 37 7.4 0 10 UCLA 6 83 13.8 1 30 Texas 10 121 12.1 1 24 Totals 91 1,274 14.0 16 61 2004 55 849 15.4 13 57 Career 146 2,123 14.5 29 61

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Source: USC