USC countdown to kickoff: Recalling Trojans safety Kevin Ellison

Countdown to kickoff is back! USC will kick off its 2026 football season on August 29 when the Trojans host San Jose State at the Coliseum. In this series, we will be counting down the days until the season opener by highlighting a notable Trojan who wore each number.

With four days to go, today we look at former USC safety Kevin Ellison.

Carter highlights: After serving as a backup safety and playing on special teams his freshman season, Ellison became a starter as a sophomore in 2006, a role he would hold down for the next three years. He finished his career in Cardinal and Gold with 168 total tackles, five interceptions, three sacks, and three forced fumbles. Following both the 2007 and 2008 seasons, Ellison was named first-team All-Pac-10.

After USC: The San Diego Chargers selected Ellison in the sixth round of the 2009 NFL Draft. As a rookie, he appeared in 13 regular season games and one postseason game, recording 52 tackles and one sack. However, he was waived by San Diego during the 2010 offseason following an arrest for possession of a controlled substance. Ellison then signed with the Seattle Seahawks , reuniting him with his college head coach Pete Carroll, but did not make the team's regular season roster.

In October 2018, Ellison tragically passed away at the age of 31 after being hit by a car while walking along the highway. Although his death was ruled an accident, Ellison was posthumously diagnosed with CTE sustained from his football playing days.

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