USC's Jamil Muhammad is grateful he finally put aside QB dreams to become a star pass rusher

Updated Oct. 11, 2023 7:19 p.m. ET

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LOS ANGELES (AP) — Jamil Muhammad started college 4 1/2 years ago as an aspiring quarterback at Vanderbilt. Two schools and one major position change later, the Alabama native has a bachelor's degree and a promising career path as one of the nation's top pass rushers at Southern California.

Through every sharp turn on his road to a starring role with the No. 10 Trojans (6-0, 4-0 Pac-12), Muhammad never thought seriously about giving up on his football goals — even when he had to change them on the fly.

“I would be lying if I said times never got hard, but to say that I sometimes questioned if it would work out, never that,” Muhammad said. “I wasn’t raised by quitters, and I always go back to my parents. They’re amazing. I always think back to how my mom made things happen when it just came to small things, how my dad made things happen. So who would I be to take them through all of that and then just quit?”

Muhammad is tied for fifth in the FBS after recording six sacks in the Trojans' first six games. While the USC defense has been sharply criticized for its struggles in the first half of the season, Muhammad has been perhaps its brightest spot, showing off a relentless motor and a knack for timely stops in his first half-season in Los Angeles.

He has a sack in five consecutive games, including two in the Trojans' triple-overtime victory over Arizona last weekend. Muhammad heads into USC's visit to Notre Dame on Saturday as the heir to Tuli Tuipulotu, who led the FBS with 13 1/2 sacks last season before being drafted by the Los Angeles Chargers.

“This sport is (about) having to fight, and having the will to keep going when most people, quite frankly, would quit,” Muhammad said. “But I wasn’t raised by quitters, so it’s just great to see where I am and where I’m headed, to be honest. The way I see it is, there’s still five people in front of me (on the sacks list), so there’s still more work to do.”

Muhammad has been working since even before he overcame a serious knee injury and left high school determined to be a star quarterback, his position since he was 5 years old. He even enrolled early at Vanderbilt in 2019 to get a head start in spring ball — but when he quickly realized he wouldn't get the chance he wanted with the Commodores, he transferred to Georgia State.

Given his body type and explosiveness, Muhammad had been told since high school that he could be a star playing defense. But he wasn't ready to give up on his quarterback dreams — until his coaches at Georgia State asked him about maybe playing receiver.

Muhammad finally decided to listen to the consensus, and he spent two years gaining muscle and growing into the physical stature necessary to excel on the rush.

He has added over 40 pounds of muscle since changing positions, but that didn't make it any easier to watch from the sideline.

“It was tough having to make that switch, I’m not going to lie,” Muhammad said. “But when I wrapped my mind around it, I knew there wasn’t no stopping what I could do if I put my mind to it.”

Muhammad had 7 1/2 sacks in his two seasons with the Panthers, but his growing potential was obvious. When he graduated and decided to enter the transfer portal, schools around the nation vied for his services before Lincoln Riley and his USC coaching staff won him over.

Muhammad bristles at the chatter he's seen on social media suggesting he chose the Trojans for the financial upside. He said he's at USC for the winning tradition and the chance to realize his potential.

“Some people think certain athletes go to certain schools just because they’re given something,” Muhammad said. "Any coach that recruited me, the minute they tried to bring up NIL, that’s not something I wanted to talk about. I don’t want to talk about anything that you’re going to give me. Let’s talk about what’s going to make me better."

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AP college football: https://apnews.com/hub/college-football and https://apnews.com/hub/ap-top-25-college-football-poll

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