For a player donning the number 0, redshirt sophomore defensive tackle Jamaal Jarrett is certainly not lacking in presence. Towering at 6 feet 5 inches and weighing in at an impressive 360 pounds, the North Carolina native brought Trojan fans in Ross-Ade Stadium to their feet with a jaw-dropping pick-six after booking it 70 yards to the end zone in Saturday’s not-so-tight game against Purdue. 

“When [Jarrett] got the pick, I was super excited,” Defensive Coordinator D’Anton Lynn said in a post-practice news conference Wednesday. “I was like, ‘Surely someone is going to catch him in those receptive yards.’”

Lynn wasn’t the only person pleasantly caught off-guard by Jarrett’s race across the field — the fresh Georgia transfer took the opportunity and literally ran with it, thanks to his speed.

“I’m pretty fast,” Jarrett said in a post-practice news conference Wednesday. “Big boys be moving. Coach gives an opportunity to move, you gotta go.”

Jarrett’s staggering show of speed came late in the third quarter thanks to a bat from redshirt junior defensive tackle Devan Thompkins, bringing up the score in what would be a 33-17 win against the Boilermakers (2-1, 0-1 Big Ten) on their own turf. With a career-first interception and touchdown, Jarrett joins the 14 other Trojans who have scored this season.

“When the ball fell into my hands, I was just like, ‘Let’s go,’” Jarrett said. “I didn’t even look back, I was like, ‘I gotta go because I don’t want to get hawked down, I don’t want to get tied up dashing, don’t want to drop the dash.’ Just instinct.”

The defensive tackle also secured the first-ever interception yards of his college career, putting him just 2 yards away from redshirt senior safety Bishop Fitzgerald for the team lead.

The 0-to-70 climb is especially impressive considering Jarrett played for Georgia in 16 games across two years without notching a single interception, despite being rated the No. 2 player in North Carolina and the No. 5 defensive lineman in the country by Rivals.

The monumentality of the play hasn’t taken away from Jarrett’s sense of gratitude at making his mark just three games into the season, and at the Trojans’ (3-0, 1-0) first road game so far.

“It’s been a blessing,” Jarrett said. “I’m not gonna lie, I prayed for moments like this, especially as a big guy. … We came out kind of hot and then that right there just kept the fire burning. I had the support from the fan base and the team. We were hyped in that moment.”

After playing in two of USC’s three games this season, Jarrett may be a featured player in the Trojans’ defensive line yet again as they get set for Saturday’s home stand-off against a formidable Michigan State (3-0). 

Known for consistent quarterback pressure in his days at Georgia, Jarrett could be an asset to Lynn’s defense against a field general like Michigan State junior Aidan Chiles, who has already racked up 656 passing yards in the Spartans’ first three games.

Regardless of where he is placed in the bout against Michigan State, the former four-star recruit has earned a name for himself with his show-stopping 70-yard flight across Purdue’s field, in what may soon be a reflection of the Trojans’ defensive prowess with Lynn at the helm as they face their second Big Ten opponent late Saturday evening. 

“I’ve never seen anything like that in person before, so it was fun,” Lynn said. “[19 miles an hour,] that’s impressive for a big guy. He was moving.”