Thanking Dwayne Jarrett

The Herd Thanks Dwayne Jarrett
by Mojack

The press conference happened today. Dwayne Jarrett, the star receiver at USC, is turning pro. Jarrett announced, "I am ready to declare that I will be going on to the NFL." Not a shock really. It’s like Lindsay Lohan having a press junket to announce that she was going to go out clubbing. Inevitable. Like the sun setting in the west. Like Brittany Spears marrying white trash husbands. It was meant to be. And USC fans though hopeful, knew that shoe would drop, and it dropped, and Dwayne Jarrett wears the Cardinal and Gold no more. Now Trojan fans and the Herd will look forward to the 2007 time of Hazelton, Turner and Patterson. Maybe Holland will step up? Maybe some freshman phenom will be the next big star at wide receiver?

All we know is that this is USC and someone will have to catch the rock and take it into the endzone. One thing that has been consistent in the Pete Carroll era is good to great QB play and good to great receiver play. BMW, Keary Colbert, Steve Smith and Dwayne Jarrett. During his time at USC, Jarrett won a national championship as a freshman, made All-American the past two seasons and is the Pac-10 all time leader in touchdown receptions. Despite being slowed this season with injuries, Jarrett finished with 70 grabs for 1,015 yards and a team leading 12

In his presser today, Jarrett praised USC, "The three years I have been here have been great, I enjoyed every moment of it." And so did Trojan fans. As Trojan Belle of the Herd said, “thanks a million, DJ. It has been a joy to watch you the past 3 years.”

We remember the drops which turned into great catches during his freshman campaign. We remember those touchdowns against Oklahoma. The world remembers the 4^th and 9 catch, almost any football fan knows what “4^th and 9” refers to, as Dwayne was on the receiving end of that beautiful Matt Leinart pass. And finally, we remember Dwayne dominating in the 2007 Rose Bowl. After he caught 11 passes for 205 yards and two touchdowns in that grand stage, who really expected him back for his senior season?

Being a sports fan is having an understanding that your team and your favorite players are fluid, and that though they are present now, the nature of sports is transitional and they could be gone next year or two years from now. So you have to latch onto the teams and not fall in love with the players because they move on too quickly. It was a magical time when the Mickey Mantle’s and Willie Stargell’s and Terry Bradshaw’s and Magic Johnson’s spent their careers with their teams. But free agency killed that era, and now players have three and four year deals and they’re gone.

That’s how college football is different in a sense. Yes, we had Will Poole for a year and Keyshawn for two, and Reggie, Lendale and Dwayne for only three, but those players aren’t moving onto other college teams. Reggie is not strapping on the powder blue and gold of UCLA. Our college heroes will always wear Cardinal and Gold. Dwayne Jarrett will always be a Trojan, in our hearts and in our minds. As Fast Frank of the Herd wrote about DJ, “We've enjoyed your play. We will always cheer for you. Wear your cardinal and gold with pride and distinction as we all do. Fight on.”

Fight on, indeed DJ, you’ve been a great Trojan. Thanks for the memories.