The 22 Most Important Trojans for 2022: No. 5 WR Jordan Addison

Fans haven't gotten to watch Jordan Addison in a USC jersey yet. Reporters haven't gotten to watch Addison in any notable live team periods.

So, for the best perspective on what the reigning Biletnikoff Award winner has shown this summer since transferring from Pitt to USC, let's leave it to a Trojans defensive back who has the most informed vantage point of anybody.

"Jordan, everything you see on paper, all the highlights, he's that guy. In practice he's the same guy," safety Calen Bullock said.

So there you have it ...

Addison will certainly be among the top individual storylines Saturday as USC opens its season against Rice in the Coliseum.

After all, he was literally recognized as the best pass-catcher in all of college football last season.

That's what 100 receptions, 1,593 yards and 17 touchdowns will do for a guy.

As for what Addison can do for the Trojans?

"There's no question, he absolutely impacts how we'll play offensively. There's absolutely zero doubt about that. He's doing very well," coach Lincoln Riley said during the middle of August. "... He's an impressive kid. He's a pretty consistent worker -- very consistent worker -- and certainly is a playmaker."

Ask outside wide receivers coach Dennis Simmons about Addison, meanwhile, and he always eventually steers the conversation to the person rather than the player. Addison has left a strong impression within the program from his official recruiting visit -- when he was only interested in talking football, at the expense of other events the staff had planned for him -- to the work ethic of someone who carries himself like he has everything still to prove, despite his immense success last year.

"He is, what you would say, if you got a coach's dream as far as handling his business off the field, all of the other adversities and distractions that he had prior to when he got here, and then just being locked in on his craft and locked in on wanting to be a part of this team and wanting to be a great teammate to his team and just learning," Simmons said.

"... He's been a pleasure to be around on and off the field and just the way he approaches the game, his business-like maturity."

Will Addison be able to match his numbers from last year at Pitt? That seems highly unlikely given the depth of talent in USC's offense, but that doesn't mean Addison can't still become a better wide receiver this year.

That's his mentality, at least.

"Just going back and looking at what I did good at and improving on that, and the plays that I left out there I'm going to make sure I make those plays," he said. "Just making sure I make every play that I'm supposed to, and the plays that I'm not supposed to make I'm going to make that too."