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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.
Today for the No. 54, we look at former USC linebacker Chris Galippo.
Position: Linebacker
Years played at USC: 2007-2011
Career highlights: As a true freshman in 2007, Galippo appeared in three games before suffering a back injury and having season-ending surgery, causing him to redshirt. He returned four games into the 2008 season and played a key role at linebacker for the Trojans for the next four years. As a redshirt sophomore in 2009, he was a semifinalist for the Butkus Award and was named All-Pac-10 honorable mention.
Perhaps the most notable aspect of Galippo's USC career, however, was the fact that he chose to stick it out with the Trojans through massive change. Early on in Galippo's time in Cardinal and Gold, he looked like the potential next great Trojans linebacker under Pete Carroll. When Carroll left for the NFL in 2010 and the NCAA hit the USC program with extremely harsh sanctions, upperclassmen were given the option to transfer without penalty. (This was well before the transfer portal era, when transferring schools was much less common.)
Galippo, however, decided to stick it out and stay at USC. Although he did not put up the massive numbers that his predecessors did, his steady presence and veteran leadership proved key in helping lead the Trojans to a 10-2 season and a top-10 finish in the AP Poll in 2011.
After USC: Galippo signed with the Indianapolis Colts as an undrafted free agent following the 2012 NFL Draft. However, he was waived by the team prior to the start of training camp. Following the conclusion of his playing career, he served as a television announcer for high school football games in Southern California.
Per his LinkedIn page, Galippo currently works as an associate planner for the City of Riverside, California.
This article originally appeared on Trojans Wire: USC countdown to kickoff: Recalling Trojans linebacker Chris Galippo
Continue reading...
Today for the No. 54, we look at former USC linebacker Chris Galippo.
Position: Linebacker
Years played at USC: 2007-2011
Career highlights: As a true freshman in 2007, Galippo appeared in three games before suffering a back injury and having season-ending surgery, causing him to redshirt. He returned four games into the 2008 season and played a key role at linebacker for the Trojans for the next four years. As a redshirt sophomore in 2009, he was a semifinalist for the Butkus Award and was named All-Pac-10 honorable mention.
Perhaps the most notable aspect of Galippo's USC career, however, was the fact that he chose to stick it out with the Trojans through massive change. Early on in Galippo's time in Cardinal and Gold, he looked like the potential next great Trojans linebacker under Pete Carroll. When Carroll left for the NFL in 2010 and the NCAA hit the USC program with extremely harsh sanctions, upperclassmen were given the option to transfer without penalty. (This was well before the transfer portal era, when transferring schools was much less common.)
Galippo, however, decided to stick it out and stay at USC. Although he did not put up the massive numbers that his predecessors did, his steady presence and veteran leadership proved key in helping lead the Trojans to a 10-2 season and a top-10 finish in the AP Poll in 2011.
After USC: Galippo signed with the Indianapolis Colts as an undrafted free agent following the 2012 NFL Draft. However, he was waived by the team prior to the start of training camp. Following the conclusion of his playing career, he served as a television announcer for high school football games in Southern California.
Per his LinkedIn page, Galippo currently works as an associate planner for the City of Riverside, California.
This article originally appeared on Trojans Wire: USC countdown to kickoff: Recalling Trojans linebacker Chris Galippo
Continue reading...
