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 18 days to go, today we look at former USC linebacker/safety Dion Bailey.
Position: Linebacker/safety
Years played at USC: 2010-2013
Career highlights: Bailey arrived at USC as a safety and redshirted his first year on campus in 2010. Prior to the 2011 season, he was converted to linebacker, where he earned a starting role and impressed, earning freshman All-American honors. He returned as a starter at linebacker in 2012, before switching back to safety in 2013.
Bailey finished his time in Cardinal and Gold with 221 total tackles, 11 interceptions, 3.5 sacks, and three forced fumbles. Of those picks, perhaps none was bigger than the one in the Trojans’ 2013 upset of No. 4 Stanford. With the game tied at 17 in the fourth quarter, the Cardinal had a second and goal from the Trojans’ ten yard-line. Bailey picked off Stanford quarterback Kevin Hogan’s pass, keeping the score knotted. USC would go on to earn a 20-17 victory on a last-second field goal by kicker Andre Heidari.
After USC: Following his redshirt junior season in 2013, Bailey declared for the 2014 NFL Draft, despite not being projected as a high draft pick. He went undrafted and signed as a free agent with the Seattle Seahawks. In Seattle, Bailey finally got to play for Pete Carroll, the head coach who had recruited him to USC, but left prior to his freshman year.
Bailey appeared in seven NFL regular games with the Seahawks and the New York Jets. He finished his professional career with 22 tackles, two passes defended, and 0.5 sacks. He was released by New York prior to the start of the 2016 season.
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This article originally appeared on Trojans Wire: USC countdown to kickoff: Recalling Trojans LB/S Dion Bailey
Reporting by Adam Bradford, Trojans Wire / Trojans Wire
USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect
By Adam Bradford, Trojans Wire | USA TODAY Network
