Sports

USC’s 350-Pound Defensive Lineman Will Make You Question Whether You Are The Same Species

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Jamaal Jarrett Weight USC Football
USC Athletics

Jamaal Jarrett began his first college football season at USC on Tuesday afternoon. He brings much-needed size to the Trojans’ defensive line in the most literal sense of the word.

The redshirt sophomore will make you question if he is of the same species.

Jarrett, a former four-star prospect in the college football recruiting Class of 2023, ranked as one of the top-15 players at his position and a top-100 recruit overall. The North Carolina-native publicly rejected the flagship university of his home state with one of the most savage commitment videos of all-time.

Now two years later, Jarrett is out in Los Angeles. He hit the transfer portal during the offseason with three years of eligibility remaining and ultimately chose USC.

Jarrett is a monstrous human being who has struggled with weight issues over the last few years. There were times where he was pushing 380 while in Athens. An ankle injury that required tight rope surgery also forced him to miss time as a freshman. As a result, he played only 15 career games in two seasons with nine total tackles.

His weight has been up and down. I think it’s something that he knows and he’s trying to work on. He has moments — flashes— of being able to help us, and we need help at that position in terms of depth because we’ve got, you know, injuries at those positions. I think he’s getting better. He’s more dependable. He has a little more stamina, but there’s still an area for improvement that he’s got to be able to play more consecutive snaps. That’s what we challenge him to do each and every day.

— Kirby Smart last August (2024)

Lincoln Riley and the Trojans believe that this year will be Jarrett’s breakout campaign. They are prepared to get him to where he needs to be in terms of weight and stamina. The spring football roster lists him at 6-foot-5, 349 pounds. Casual.

USC had a problem in the trenches in 2024. It ranked near the bottom of the FBS in sacks and allowed more than 150 rushing yards per game. Adding size to defensive line was a huge point of emphasis in the weight room and in recruiting over the last few months. The Trojans needed beef. They got it.

  • Top three heaviest defensive linemen in 2024:
    • Bear Alexander — 315
    • Kobe Pepe — 315
    • Carlon Jones — 311
  • Top three heaviest D-linemen in 2025:
    • Keeshawn Silver — 331
    • Kobe Pepe — 335
    • Jamaal Jarrett — 349

Silver and Jarrett arrived to the first day of spring practice together. Jarrett, wearing No. 0, is so big that he made Silver, wearing No. 9, look small.

We have seen defensive lineman in college football that weigh 350+ pounds. Florida just replaced a guy who weighed 450 pounds with a true freshman who weighs 400 pounds. They exist.

However, I am impressed to see how well Jamaal Jarrett wears 349. I question whether he and I are both from the same planet, but I don’t necessarily look at him and think he’s fat. Big, yes. But not fat.

Maybe this will be the year that Jarrett finally puts it all together. Maybe he will balloon back up to 380 over the summer. Who is to say?! Either way, I can’t wait to see how this new USC defensive line performs during the program’s second season in the Big Ten. It’s beefy!