Former USC DB Joshua Jackson arrested, charged with rape

Former USC defensive back Joshua Jackson has been arrested and arrested on four felony charges, according to the Los Angeles Times’ Ryan Kartje. Jackson is currently in the transfer portal after three years with the Trojans from 2020-22.

Jackson is accused of raping three women, the Los Angeles County District Attorney’s office said. He’s facing one felony count of forcible sexual penetration and three counts of forcible rape, and his bail was set at $1.4 million.

USC released a statement on the matter, saying the university is working with law enforcement throughout the process.

“USC takes all reports of sexual assault extremely seriously,” the statement read, via the Times. “We have been cooperating with law enforcement authorities in this matter and will continue to do so.”

Jackson is accused of raping a classmate at USC in March shortly before he entered the transfer portal. That came after he allegedly raped a student from UCLA at his apartment between June 1 and Sept. 1, 2020, according to the Times.

There was also a third alleged incident, according to the Los Angeles Police Department, but details were scarce other than it occurred in San Diego. The Times also reported Jackson could be involved with “additional unreported sexual assaults” in light of his arrest.

“Sexual assault is a heinous crime that cannot be tolerated,” Los Angeles County District Attorney George Gascon said in a statement, via the Times. “These brave women made the difficult decision to come forward and report their assault, now it’s our turn to ensure that justice is done. We will do everything we can to hold the person responsible accountable for his actions.”

Jackson started his career as a wide receiver, but made the switch to defense — both at cornerback and at defensive back — and had an interception in 2021 as USC defeated Colorado. He didn’t play during the 2022 season as he dealt with injuries and entered the portal in April. He also graduated from USC in May.

All told, Jackson had nine tackles and the aforementioned interception in three games during the 2021 season. He didn’t play in either the 2020 season or the 2022 campaign.

Jackson arrived on campus out of Narbonne (CA) High School, where he was a three-star prospect. He was the No. 414 overall recruit in the 2020 cycle, according to the On3 Industry Ranking, a weighted average that utilizes all four major recruiting media companies.