USC's Jazzy Davidson Joins JuJu Watkins As Cover Athlete

USC Trojans freshman guard Jazzy Davidson has had an incredible first year for the Trojans, leading them in points, assists, rebounds, and blocks per game. Davidson has gained national recognition for her play.

Jan 29, 2026; Los Angeles, California, USA; USC Trojans guard Jazzy Davidson (9) warms up prior to the game against the Iowa Hawkeyes at Galen Center. Mandatory Credit: Jayne Kamin-Oncea-Imagn Images | Jayne Kamin-Oncea-Imagn Images

USC Trojans guard Jazzy Davidson is the most recent cover athlete for “Slam U.” The freshman  phenom has gained national recognition for her incredible play this season. 

Jazzy Davidson on Slam U Cover

Jan 29, 2026; Los Angeles, California, USA; USC Trojans guard Jazzy Davidson (9) shoots a basket as she is defended by Iowa Hawkeyes guard Teagan Mallegni (55) and guard Ava Heiden (5) in the first half at Galen Center. Mandatory Credit: Jayne Kamin-Oncea-Imagn Images | Jayne Kamin-Oncea-Imagn Images

Check out Jazzy Davidson’s Slam cover below. 

The court is Jazzy’s canvas. And she’s been painting a masterpiece this season with her Nike Sabrina 3 PE.

USC's star freshman covers SLAMU 19. pic.twitter.com/O7rG6Xoh0P

— SLAM Kicks (@SLAMKicks) February 18, 2026

Davidson was a five-star recruit and the top rated player in USC’s 2025 recruiting class. She has lived up to the hype and then some. Davidson leads USC in scoring (17.2 points per game), assists (4.4 per game), rebounds (6.3 per game), and blocks (2.2 per game). 

She has been named Big Ten Freshman of the Week six times already this season and the USBWA Freshman of the Week in the country three times. The Trojans are currently on a five-game winning streak, in large part because of Davidson’s play. 

During this five-game stretch, Davidson has averaged 21.8 points, 6.0 assists, 6.0 rebounds, 2.2 steals, and 1.2 blocks per game. 

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USC's NCAA Tournament Standing

Nov 9, 2025; Charlotte, North Carolina, USA; Southern California Trojans head coach Lindsay Gottlieb shouts a play against the NC State Wolfpack during the third quarter of the Ally Tipoff game at Spectrum Center. Mandatory Credit: Cory Knowlton-Imagn Images | Cory Knowlton-Imagn Images

USC currently has an overall record of 16-9 this season and a mark of 8-6 in Big Ten conference play. Even with nine losses, USC is still comfortably in the NCAA Tournament field. Being in such a strong conference like the Big Ten has been a big reason for that. Seven teams in the conference are currently ranked in the AP Top 25.

2. UCLA Bruins
6. Michigan Wolverines
10. Ohio State Buckeyes
13. Iowa Hawkeyes
14. Maryland Terrapins
18. Michigan State Spartans
23. Minnesota Golden Gophers 

According to ESPN bracketologist Charlie Creme, USC is slated as a No. 8 seed in the tournament. In Creme’s projection, the Trojans would face the No. 9 seeded Villanova Wildcats in the first round. The No. 1 seed in this region is the South Carolina Gamecocks. 

Trojans Missing JuJu Watkins

Oct 11, 2025; Los Angeles, California, USA; USC Trojans basketball player JuJu Watkins was on hand as she was named the tunnel captain the the game against the Michigan Wolverines at United Airlines Field at the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum. Mandatory Credit: Jayne Kamin-Oncea-Imagn Images | Jayne Kamin-Oncea-Imagn Images

This seeding is much lower than where USC was in the 2024 and 2025 NCAA Tournaments’. The Trojans were a No. 1 seed in both of those tournaments and made it all the way to the Elite Eight before getting knocked out by the UConn Huskies. 

The most obvious factor contributing to this seeding drop off is the absence of star guard JuJu Watkins. Watkins, another Trojan who has been on the cover of “Slam” (see below), was named the AP Player of the Year and John Wooden Award winner last season as a sophomore for USC. 

Different here. 𝗧𝗛𝗘 𝗣𝙇𝘼𝗖𝗘 𝗧𝗢 𝗕𝗘. pic.twitter.com/ouEq1yL15U

— USC Trojans (@USC_Athletics) February 18, 2026

Watkins averaged 23.9 points, 6.8 rebounds, and 3.4 assists per game for the Trojans in 2024-25. Unfortunately for her and her team, Watkins suffered a torn ACL in the second round of the 2025 NCAA Tournament, ending her season. 

In the offseason, it was announced that Watkins would also miss 2025-26 while she rehabs back from this injury. It has left a big void that the Trojans have not been able to completely fill. With Watkins back next year, the Trojans could have arguably the best backcourt in the country with her and Davidson. 

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