USC Trojans Name Surprising Tunnel Captain For Georgia Southern Matchup

Ahead of the game, USC has announced its tunnel captain against Georgia Southern. Former USC wide receiver Deontay Burnett will lead the Trojans out of the tunnel on Saturday. Burnett was a wide receiver with the Trojans for three seasons from 2015 to 2017.

While at USC, Burnett played for none other than former Trojans coach Clay Helton, now the leader of Georgia Southern's football program. The Trojans enter the matchup as big favorites over Georgia Southern, and many intriguing storylines are headlining the game, especially with the return of Helton.

It'll be the first-ever meeting between the Trojans and the Eagles, and the second time that USC has played a school from the Sun Belt Conference. USC's lone matchup against a Sun Belt opponent came back in 2015 when they beat Arkansas State 55-6.

Burnett's USC Career And Becoming a Rose Bowl Legend

In his USC career, Burnett recorded 1,897 receiving yards and 16 touchdowns. His best season was his final one with the Trojans, in which he recorded a 1,000 plus receiving yard season and collected nine touchdowns. USC ended up winning the Pac-12 Championship that season and finished the year with an 11-3 record.

The highlight of Burnett's career came in the 2017 Rose Bowl win against the Penn State Nittany Lions. Burnett became a Rose Bowl hero in USC's 52-49 win over Penn State, with a game-tying touchdown late in the fourth quarter. Burnett finished the Rose Bowl with 164 receiving yards, three touchdowns on 13 receptions.

His performance helped USC to clinch their first win in the Rose Bowl since 2008, where they also beat Penn State, 38-24.

Burnett's Professional Career

Burnett spent a short time playing in the NFL, which started when he signed as an undrafted free agent with the Tennessee Titans. From 2018 to 2020, Burnett was also with the New York Jets, San Francisco 49ers, and the Philadelphia Eagles.

In his short stint in the NFL, Burnett recorded 15 receptions for 210 yards. His best season came in 2018 with the Jets, where he played in six games, recording 143 receiving yards. Burnett has earned his success at the professional level in the XFL and the UFL with the Houston Roughnecks and the Arlington Renegades.

In 2023, Burnett was named to the All-XFL team with the Roughnecks. Last season with the Renegades, Burnett collected 349 receiving yards for three touchdowns, which was second best on the team behind wide receiver Tyler Vaughns. Arlington was just shy of making the UFL playoffs, finishing the season with a 5-5 record.