Countdown to kickoff is back! USC will kick off its 2026 football season on August 29 when the Trojans host San Jose State at the Coliseum. In this series, we will be counting down the days until the season opener by highlighting a notable Trojan who wore each number.
The countdown has now reached single digits! With nine days to go, today we look at former USC All-American wide receiver Marqise Lee.
Position: Wide receiver
Years played at USC: 2011-2013
Career highlights: It did not take long for Lee to make an impact at USC. He took the country by storm as a true freshman in 2011, racking up 73 receptions for 1,143 yards and 11 touchdowns. The following year, Lee took things to another level, setting USC single-season records with 118 receptions and 1,721 yards to go along with 14 scores.
Against Arizona in 2012, Lee had perhaps the greatest receiving day in USC football history. Against the Wildcats, he racked up 16 catches for an incredible 346 yards and two touchdowns, in a game that the Trojans somehow managed to lose despite Lee’s historic performance. Following that season, Lee was named a Unanimous All-American and became the first Trojan to win the Biletnikoff Award, presented to the top receiver in all of college football.
As a junior in 2013, Lee dealt with injuries that caused his statistics to somewhat fall off. However, he made several key catches while playing injured in the Trojans’ 20-17 upset of No. 4 Stanford, and he finished out his career in Cardinal and Gold on a high note with 118 receiving yards and two scores in a Las Vegas Bowl victory over No. 20 Fresno State.
After USC: Following USC’s 2013 season, Lee declared for the 2014 NFL Draft, where the Jacksonville Jaguars selected him in the second round. Although his professional career never quite lived up to the hype that surrounded him coming out of USC, Lee went on to play six seasons with Jacksonville. His best statistical year came in 2016, when he caught 63 passes for 851 yards and three touchdowns.
Lee’s last appearance in an NFL game came in 2019 with the Jaguars. He had brief stints in 2020 and 2021 with the New England Patriots and San Francisco 49ers, but never appeared in a contest for either team.
After his football career ended, Lee returned to school to finish his college degree. He did just that, finally graduating from USC this past May.
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This article originally appeared on Trojans Wire: USC countdown to kickoff: Recalling Trojans wide receiver Marqise Lee
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