USC Freshman Jazzy Davidson Named to Naismith Defensive Player of the Year Watch List
USC’s Jazzy Davidson is doing more than just turning heads-she’s turning defense into dominance. The freshman guard has officially been named to the Naismith Women's College Defensive Player of the Year Watch List, an honor reserved for the nation’s elite stoppers. And make no mistake: Davidson isn’t just making noise as a first-year player-she’s making history.
She’s one of only four freshmen across the country to earn a spot on the watch list, and one of four representatives from the Big Ten Conference. That’s elite company, and Davidson's early-season impact has more than earned her place there.
Hailing from Clackamas, Oregon, Davidson has wasted no time establishing herself as one of college basketball’s most complete two-way players. Her defensive instincts are already translating into serious production-she ranks 11th nationally in blocks per game (2.5), and she leads the Big Ten in that category. That’s not just rare for a freshman-it’s virtually unheard of for a guard.
But Davidson’s game isn’t one-dimensional. She’s been stuffing the stat sheet since the season tipped off, and her performance against Tennessee Tech was a coming-out party.
In that game, she posted her first career double-double with 20 points on an efficient 9-of-14 shooting, and pulled down a career-high 16 rebounds-the most by a USC freshman since Rayah Marshall grabbed 17 boards against Texas Southern in 2021. She didn’t stop there, either, adding four assists and two blocks in a performance that showed just how complete her game already is.
Davidson followed that up with another eye-opener against No. 21 Washington.
She led all scorers with 22 points and paced the Trojans with 12 rebounds, while also dishing out four assists and tallying two blocks and two threes. Then came a career-best 24-point outing against Cal, where she added four rebounds, four blocks, and three triples-marking her ninth straight game scoring in double figures.
Her defensive presence was on full display against No. 20 Nebraska, where she swatted away five shots and added 17 points, eight rebounds, and three assists. And in a gritty matchup with Oregon, Davidson logged her third double-double of the season: 14 points, 13 rebounds (11 of them on the defensive glass), five assists, two blocks, and two steals.
Through the first stretch of the season, Davidson leads USC in just about every major statistical category: scoring (16.0 ppg), assists (4.0 apg), rebounds (6.4 rpg), and blocks (2.5 bpg). She also tops the team in double-doubles (3), double-digit scoring games (19), and 15-point performances (10). She’s led the Trojans in rebounds seven times, points six times, steals nine times, and blocks in 14 different games.
It’s no surprise that ESPN tabbed her as the No. 1 freshman in its Dec. 18 freshman impact rankings-she was also their preseason pick for top freshman in the country. So far, she’s living up to every bit of that hype.
Davidson isn’t just a freshman phenom-she’s the defensive backbone of a USC team with big aspirations. And if her early-season form is any indication, she’s not just on a watch list-she’s on a fast track to stardom.