Reggie Bush is persona non grata at USC but still a factor in recruiting

Reggie Bush has not played at USC since 2005, but he continues to affect Trojans recruiting.

Coach Steve Sarkisian says that Bush, the flashy tailback who won and eventually forfeited the 2005 Heisman Trophy, often comes up in conversation, along with Trojans teams that won national titles in the 2003 and 2004 seasons and fell just short of winning another in 2005.

“They reference him,” Sarkisian said during the Pac-12 Conference’s media days. “They reference that era, for sure.

“It was a great era for ‘SC football. We’re trying to re-create it.”

Bush is preparing for his 10th NFL season, his first with the San Francisco 49ers.

The No. 2 pick in the 2006 draft helped the New Orleans Saints win a Super Bowl title; he also has played for the Miami Dolphins and the Detroit Lions. Bush has rushed for 5,465 yards and 35 touchdowns, caught 18 touchdown passes and returned four punts for touchdowns in his pro career.

After he left USC, Bush was at the center of an NCAA investigation that resulted in some of the most severe sanctions in college sports history. As part of penalties handed down in 2010, USC was ordered to disassociate from the record-setting running back.

But Athletic Director Pat Haden said in April that Bush should be welcomed back to USC.

Sarkisian, who was the assistant head coach and quarterbacks coach on Pete Carroll’s USC staff in 2005, said that “regardless of what happened off the field,” he regarded Bush as one of greatest and hardest-working players in college football history.

Bush’s No. 5 jersey has not been worn at USC since 2005. USC retires jersey numbers of Heisman winners, but Bush’s forfeiture apparently put it back in play.

Cornerback Adoree’ Jackson had requested No. 5 when he arrived last season as a freshman, but he instead wears No. 2.

No player will wear No. 5 this season, but Sarkisian indicated it was not off the table in the future.

“I don’t know. We probably can,” he said. “I just don’t know who really wants it. Quite honestly, that’s a lot to ask for.

“Do you want to live up to that? . . . That’s a lot to put on your own shoulders to accept. It all sounds good, right, in the recruiting process — until the reality of actually coming down that tunnel and wearing that number. Those are lofty expectations.”

Last spring, several players in the national 2016 recruiting class told Times correspondent Lindsey Thiry that they knew of Bush’s legacy.

“I still have his jersey,” Santa Ana Mater Dei offensive lineman Frank Martin said.

Said Javon McKinley, a receiver at Corona Centennial: “He was always the main player on the field.”

Olympic hopeful

Jackson also stars for USC’s track team and has Olympic aspirations.

He won the Pac-12 Conference long-jump title as a freshman and finished fifth in the NCAA championships with a leap of 25 feet 11 inches.

Sarkisian said he would not stop Jackson from attempting to qualify for the 2016 Olympics.

“He’s got a lot of work to do to get to that caliber of a jumper,” Sarkisian said. “But we’ll attack that when the season’s done.”

The qualifying standard for this summer’s world championships is 26 feet 7 inches.

Buffalo Bills receiver Marquise Goodwin, a two-time NCAA champion, finished fourth in the U.S. Championships with a leap of 27-5 1/2. Marquis Denby was the top qualifier at 28-5 3/4.

“We’re going to have a pretty good idea what the numbers are,” Sarkisian said. “If you’re not jumping 27 feet you’re going to have a hard time making the Olympic team.”

Featured freshman

When USC opens training camp Saturday, much of the attention will be on Iman Marshall.

The incoming freshman from Long Beach Poly is listed as a cornerback. But Sarkisian, when asked if the 6-foot-2, 200-pound Marshall would play cornerback or safety, said he could play either position.

“We’ve got to see what best fits what we need,” Sarkisian said, adding, “I haven’t seen him cover really elite guys yet.

“I saw him in high school, but I haven’t seen him cover JuJu [Smith] or Isaac [Whitney] or these guys. We’ll find out.”

Senior Kevon Seymour and Jackson, a sophomore, are returning starters at cornerback.

Quick hits

Tight end Bryce Dixon, who did not participate in spring practice and is not attending USC because of a ruling in an unspecified student-conduct issue, is in the process of appealing with the school, Sarkisian said. . . . Tight end Jalen Cope-Fitzpatrick’s status for the 2015 season remains uncertain, Sarkisian said. Cope-Fitzpatrick was academically ineligible in 2014.

gary.klein@latimes.com

Twitter: @latimesklein