Jordan Addison explains why he wears No. 3 and how he got Carson Palmer's permission to wear it
Jordan Addison started wearing the No. 3 in high school because of Calvin Ridley. When the current Atlanta Falcon receiver was in college, he wore the same number. Addison said in a video shared to the USC athletics Twitter account that Ridley was a big inspiration for him and why he started playing wideout.
At Pitt, Addison wore No. 3. At USC, though, the number was retired.
Was.
However, Addison got permission from USC legend Carson Palmer to pull the jersey out of retirement for the upcoming season. The former Heisman Trophy-winning quarterback was the last Trojan to wear No. 3. Addison shared the story behind his chat with Palmer. Check it out below:
Carson Palmer 🤝 @ESPN_Jordan
#️⃣3️⃣ pic.twitter.com/3Rsz0c4Yz2— USC Trojans (@USC_Athletics) August 11, 2022
Addison helped the Pitt Panthers to an ACC title last season, put up 1,593 yards and 17 touchdowns on 100 receptions while winning the Biletnikoff Award as college football’s best receiver. He transferred to USC this offseason, in part, to team up with quarterback Caleb Williams.
That No. 3 jersey brings big expectations with it.
In 2002, Palmer threw for 3,942 yards and 33 touchdowns, leading the Trojans to a No. 4 national ranking and capturing the Heisman Trophy, Johnny Unitas Golden Arm Award, Sporting News Player of the Year, Pac-10 Co-Offensive Player of the Year, Consensus All-American honors and a First-Team All-Pac-10 selection.
Palmer’s Heisman made him the first USC quarterback to win the award, and the 11-win season he engineered helped set the table for back-to-back national championships in 2003 and 2004.
He went on to be the No. 1 overall pick in the NFL Draft. Now he’s in the College Football Hall of Fame and, until this season, his No. 3 USC jersey was untouched.
”He (Addison) promised to work his tail off and represent all that it means to be a Trojans,” Palmer said, “and that he’d be incredibly humbled to wear No. 3.”