USC Star Jazzy Davidson Joins Historic Company With Elite Freshman Season

USC saw its season end in disappointing fashion with a blowout loss to South Carolina in the second round of the NCAA Tournament Monday night.

The Trojans season was filled with highs and lows, but one thing is for certain, freshman guard Jazzy Davison isn’t just a budding star in women’s college basketball, she is a star and one of the biggest attractions in the sport.

Jazzy Davison Places Her Name Amongst the Greats

USC Trojans NCAA Tournament March Madness Jazzy Davidson Injury Report NIL Recruiting JuJu Watkins South Carolina Recruit — University of Southern California forward Jazzy Davidson (9) Monday, March 23, 2026, during the first quarter NCAA Women's Basketball Tournament at Colonial Life Arena in Columbia, South Carolina. | Ken Ruinard / USA Today Network South Carolina / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

Tabbed as the No. 1 overall recruit in the 2025 class, Davidson, a four-time Gatorade Oregon Player of the Year, had a ton of notoriety before she stepped foot on campus and more than lived up to the billing in her inaugural season.

The 6-foot-1 combo guard out of Clackamas (Ore.) has a unique skillset that helped her thrive on both ends of the court from day one. She powered the Trojans this season, leading them in every major statistical category including points, rebounds, assists, steals and blocks per game. Davidson was the only Division I player to do so.

Davidson joined some impressive company after her historic freshman season. She became only the sixth freshmen in women’s college basketball history to record 500+ points, 150+ rebounds, 100+ assists, 50+ steals, and 50+ blocks, joining USC guard JuJu Watkins, UConn forward Sarah Strong, former Tennessee forward Candace Parker, former UConn guard Maya Moore and former USC forward Cheryl Miller.

The Trojans guard racked up the accolades in her first season. She was named the Big Ten Freshman of the Year, and earned first team All-Big Ten, Big Ten All-Defensive Team and Big Ten All-Freshman Team honors. She was recognized by The Athletic as the National Freshman of the Year and became the lone freshman this season to earn USBWA All-American honors.

Davidson delivered a stellar performance in her tournament debut against Clemson over the weekend. She became the first freshman in the last 25 years with 30+ points, 5+ rebounds and 5+ assistants in a tournament debut.

Similar to Watkins’ arc, Davidson could see her NIL valuation skyrocket before the start of her sophomore year. She’s marketable and plays for one of the biggest brands in college athletics in the heart of the Entertainment Capital of the World.

Future of USC Women’s Basketball Program

After back-to-back years of having a one seed in the NCAA Tournament, the Trojans played the entire season without Watkins, who suffered a torn ACL in the second round of last year’s tournament.

The two-time All-American and 2025 Naismith Plater of the Year is one of the most prolific scorers in recent, if not historically in women’s college basketball. She is set to return next season and pairing her with Davidson has the potential to create one of the top one-two punches in college basketball.

But it’s not just those two that has the program excited about their future. Sophomore guard Kennedy Smith, a Big Ten All-Defensive Team selection returns. USC signed another impressive recruiting classic, which features five-star guard Saniyah Hall, the No. 1 overall recruit in the 2026 class, and five-star forwards Sara Okeke and Sitaya Fagan.

"We've been able to attract really, really good people, staff, and players, to want to be part of something," said USC coach Lindsay Gottlieb. "We've had some really good success the last couple of years, and I think we've shown people that we can be a player in this elite level of women's college basketball."

"We know where we want to be, we have seen it. We've been there almost, two Elite Eights, and now we've not been there, and that's going to be a driving force to getting us to where we want to go," said Gottlieb.

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