Looking back on it now, Tahj Washington still doesn't quite understand the lack of recruiting interest he received coming out of high school in Marshall, Texas, a few years ago.

Maybe it was being on the eastern edge of the state so far from the major metropolitan areas that draw all of that celebrated Texas football spotlight, or maybe recruiters just thought he was too small, he suggests.

"I mean, I never understood it. If you go watch the film, it's all there. It's still there, so I always wondered," he said this week. "Any coaches that coached me previous, they would testify for me, so it's all for a reason. I wouldn't be who I am without it."

Who he is now is USC's projected No. 2 wide receiver opposite star Drake London, one of the new additions expected to make a significant impact as the Trojans kickoff the season Saturday in the Coliseum vs. San Jose State.

How he got here is what makes his story so interesting.

An off-the-radar 5-foot-11, 168-pound two-star recruit coming out of Marshall High School in the Class of 2019, Washington had received one tenuous Power 5 offer before ultimately landing at Memphis. After a redshirt year there, he went on to become a Football Writers Association of America Freshman All-American last fall with 43 receptions for 743 yards and 7 total touchdowns.

And now he steps into what could be a very high-profile role in a pass-heavy attack for one of college football's most famous programs.

"He felt it was in his best interest to leave [Memphis] and absolutely ended up in an even better situation -- a situation where as a staff we probably felt he could have gone from the very get-go," Marshall HS coach Jake Griedl said over the phone this week. "But everybody has their own path and I think what ended up playing out for Tahj is not only going to make him a better football player but I think it's going to make him respect and appreciate his journey that much more. ...

"He's going to be a star for USC -- that's just who he is."

With a wide receiver room that has seen substantial turnover since last season -- with stalwarts Amon-Ra St. Brown and Tyler Vaughns off to the NFL and projected starter Bru McCoy's still suspended with his future in the program uncertain -- the Trojans are certainly hoping Washington can be that kind of player this season and into the future.

Although Washington didn't join the program until this summer, he's made an immediate impression on anyone who has watched USC's preseason practices, was the first player head coach Clay Helton highlighted after the team's second August scrimmage and on Thursday was officially revealed as the Trojans' first-team Z receiver.

As to how he's continued his transformation from lightly-regarded two-star recruit to starting wideout in one college football's most high-profile programs, well, Washington says he's abided by a simple mentality that he doesn't plan to change now.

"I just came out and just played every play like it was my last play, so I'm just going to try to treat every day like that," he said.