The two-year anniversary of the Trojans signing star sophomore guard Juju Watkins is nearly upon us, but there has been no sign of head coach Lindsay Gottlieb and her staff slowing down on the recruiting trail.
Jazzy Davidson, the No. 2-ranked player in the 2025 recruiting cycle, announced Tuesday that she will be furthering her athletic and academic career at USC. Davidson, a 6-foot-2 combo guard out of Clackamas, Oregon is the Trojans’ first commitment in the 2025 class, and a big one. After narrowing down her choices over the summer, she chose the Trojans over UCLA, Texas, TCU, UConn and Duke.
Possessing a similar player profile to one of the best players in the nation, Juju Watkins, Davidson is a lefty with height to elegantly finish around the rim and the shooting range to stretch defenses out, making her difficult to guard at all times. Not only does she have the offensive capabilities to score at will, but her size makes her effective on the defensive end as well. A true unicorn, Davidson averaged 26.4 points per game, 7.7 rebounds per game, 3.8 steals per game and 2.6 assists per game through 25 high school games last season.
Her accolades back up her stats. Davidson is a three-time Oregon Gatorade Player of the Year and a three-time first team all-state selection. Not only does Davidson have the state recognition to back up her ranking, but she has the national recognition as well, as she earned a spot on the U18 USA 3x3 Women’s U18 National Team in 2024 and won gold at the 2024 FIBA U18 AmeriCup. Off the court, Davidson has maintained a 3.87 GPA throughout high school, signifying her commitment to being a student-athlete.
This commitment is much more than it appears at face value as the Trojans continue to push for a national championship following their 2024 Elite Eight run. Gottlieb has made major strides every season, both in recruiting and on the court performance, since her hiring in 2021 and has brought the Trojans back to national relevance.
Following the signing of Watkins, the No. 1 recruit in 2023, Gottlieb signed the top recruiting class in 2024, making it four times since Gottileb’s hiring that the Trojans have signed a top 10 player in their respective class. Now, with Davidson, that makes it five years straight for Gottlieb’s streak and sends the Trojans well on their way to signing back-to-back No. 1 classes.
Headlined by freshman guards Kennedy Smith, Kayleigh Heckel and Avery Howell — all of whom were ranked within the top 16 — the Trojans were the one of three schools to sign three five stars in 2024. What makes the Trojans stand out among the other two schools is how deep the 2024 class is. Gottlieb also landed commitments from forward Vivian Iwuchukwu, guard Rian Forestier, forward Laura Williams and guard Brooklyn Shamblin to complete the Trojans’ 2024 recruiting class, making it arguably more special than the 2023 class that brought home Watkins.
Special has become the word for USC Athletics, as USC has deemed itself “The pLAce to be.” The program’s success in the offseason transfer portal has emphasized that message for the women’s basketball team, as the Trojans landed commitments from Stanford graduate forward Kiki Iriafen and Oregon State graduate guard Talia von Oelhoffen, both of whom project to come in and make an instant impact.
Adding both important veteran and young pieces around Watkins will only push USC closer to winning a national championship and with Davidson, USC might have another star on the horizon. Welcome to “the pLAce to be.”