3 days ago
USC football countdown to kickoff continues—Claude Pelon in focus
USC football countdown to kickoff continues—Claude Pelon in focus
The countdown to USC's 2025 football season is officially on! The Trojans kick off their new campaign 90 days from today. You need something to help you while away the days and hours in the spring and summer. This is one way to do so. In this new series, countdown to kickoff, we will be counting down the days by highlighting a notable Trojan who wore each number. Today, we take a look back at former USC defensive lineman Claude Pelon.
Position: Defensive line
Years played at USC: 2014-2015
Career highlights: Originally from Orlando, Florida, Pelon spent the first three years of his collegiate career at junior college, before transferring to USC in 2014. In two seasons with the Trojans, he recorded 46 tackles and four sacks.
Pelon made two particularly memorable plays during his time in Cardinal and Gold. In a 2014 game at Arizona, he blocked a field goal that proved to be massive in the Trojans' upset of the No, 10 Wildcats. Then in the 2015 Crosstown Showdown vs. UCLA, Pelon had a strip sack of Bruins' quarterback Josh Rosen that teammate Rasheem Green picked up and ran back for a Trojans touchdown.
After USC: Pelon signed with the New York Jets as an undrafted free agent following the 2016 NFL Draft. He appeared in one game for the team in 2017, recording two tackles. Pelon also briefly spent time with the Tennessee Titans.
