USC seniors don high school jerseys during practice

It was Throwback Tuesday on Brian Kennedy-Howard Jones field as several USC seniors donned their high school jerseys for practice.

“I haven’t worn this in forever, and it just kind of represents where I am from,” said fifth-year senior Cody Kessler, who wore his No. 7 jersey from Bakersfield Centennial. “It’s really cool to wear this jersey on this practice field.”

USC will recognize 24 seniors (including fourth-year juniors who do not intend to return) prior to their Coliseum finale against UCLA on Saturday.

Wearing high school jerseys in the final week of regular-season practice has been an ongoing tradition for several years.

Tailback Tre Madden, defensive lineman Claude Pelon, punter Kris Alvarado and fullbacks Soma Vainuku and Jahleel Pinner were among seniors who squeezed into old uniforms.

For Kessler, it wasn’t so much of a squeeze but he said teammates managed to poke fun at the jersey’s brand. “Everyone is giving me a hard time because it’s Russell, but we don’t have a lot in Bakersfield,” he said, laughing.