A second player has decided to use their transfer opportunity as defensive end Malik Jackson will transfer from USC to the University of Tennessee, according to multiple reports.
Jackson (6-5, 240) was entering his junior year in college and was sharing playing time at the strong side defensive end position with Armond Armstead. The USC Trojans lose an end on the roster and now have only Armstead, Wes Horton, Nick Perry, and Kevin Greene to man the position. Per Peter Moura of ESPN Los Angeles:
"I never thought about transferring when the sanctions first came out," Jackson said. "But the more I thought about it and talked to schools, the more I realized that I wanted to go and pursue other opportunities.
"I just felt like I needed to be someplace else."
Jackson had 18 tackles and 3.5 sacks last season during his sophomore year.
Jackson's brother, Marquis, committed to USC for the 2010 class, but enrolling issues caused him to commit to Texas Southern, where he signed his letter of intent last month. Jackson has said his brother's actions did not play a role with his decision.