2017 Football Roster
Roster
Christian Rector
- Position:
- Defensive Lineman
- Height:
- 6-4
- Weight:
- 275
- Class:
- Redshirt Sophomore
- Hometown:
- South Pasadena, CA
- High School:
- Loyola
@christian_rector 
@the_real_rector
CAREER: In his career, he has 107 tackles, including 22.5 for losses (with 13 sacks), 1 deflections, 3 fumble recoveries, a forced fumble, an interception and a 10-yard kickoff return. He has appeared in 46 games in his career, with 23 starts.
2019: Rector started at defensive end as a senior in 2019. Overall in 2019 while starting all 10 games he played (all but BYU, Arizona, Colorado), he had 19 tackles, including 2.5 for losses of 3 yards (with a 1-yard sack), plus an interception and a deflection. He sprained has ankle against Stanford and missed the BYU game, then re-aggravated it and sat out the Arizona and Colorado games. He won USC’s Trojan Commitment Award. He was a USC team captain. He was a 2020 NFLPA Collegiate Bowl invitee.
He had 4 tackles with a sack and a deflection against Fresno State, a tackle for loss against Stanford, 3 tackles against Utah, a tackle at Washington, 2 tackles at Notre Dame and 3 tackles against Oregon. He had 2 tackles at Arizona State and made a victory-sealing interception deep in USC territory with 25 seconds to play when he batted a pass at the line and dove to haul it in. He had 3 tackles (0.5 for loss) against Iowa
2018: Rector once again made a major impact starting as a junior in 2018, on the defensive line for the first half of the year and then at outside linebacker. He appeared in all 12 games, with 8 starts (at defensive end at Stanford and Texas, then at outside linebacker against Washington State, Utah, Arizona State, California, UCLA and Notre Dame). Overall in 2018, he had 48 tackles, including 9 for losses of 44 yards (with 4.5 sacks for minus 29 yards), plus 2 deflections, a fumble recovery and a forced fumble. He made the 2018 AP All-Pac-12 second team and Pro Football Focus All-Pac-12 second team.
He had 3 tackles at Stanford, 7 tackles (1 for a loss), forced a fumble that he recovered and had a deflection at Texas and had a tackle against both Washington State and Arizona. He had 10 tackles, including a game-best 3.5 for losses (with 2 sack), at Utah while playing outside linebacker for an injured Porter Gustin. He had 3 tackles (0.5 for loss) and a deflection against Arizona State, a game-best 9 tackles, including 3.5 for losses (with 2.5 sacks), at Oregon State, 6 tackles against California, 4 tackles (0.5 for loss) at UCLA and 4 tackles against Notre Dame.
2017: Rector proved to be a force as a sophomore defensive lineman in 2017. Overall in 2017 while appearing in 12 games (he broke his hand in practice prior to the Arizona State game and missed the Arizona State and Arizona games) and starting 5 times (California, Washington State, Oregon State, Utah, Notre Dame) as a hybrid defensive end/outside linebacker, he had 35 tackles, including 11 for losses of 64 yards (with 7.5 sacks for 56 yards), 2 fumble recoveries, 2 forced fumbles and a 10-yard kickoff return. He was named to the 2017 AP Midseason All-American second team. He made 2017 All-Pac-12 second team, CollegeFootballNews.com All-Pac-12 first team, AP All-Pac-12 second team, Athlon All-Pac-12 second team and Phil Steele All-Pac-12 second team.
He had a tackle against Western Michigan and Stanford. Against Texas, he stripped the ball from a Longhorn in the second overtime and USC recovered to set up the game-winning field goal, to go along with an earlier fumble recovery and 6 tackles (2.5 for losses, with 1.5 sacks). He had 2 sacks and a forced fumble at California and 6 tackles (0.5 sack) at Washington State. He had 7 tackles, including 1 for a loss (with 0.5 sack), recovered a fumble and returned a short kickoff 10 yards against Oregon State. He had 6 tackles (with 2 sacks) against Utah, then 2 of his 3 tackles were for losses at Notre Dame. He had 2 tackles (1 for a loss, with a sack) at Colorado, then a tackle against UCLA and Stanford in the Pac-12 Championship Game.
2016: Rector got into the playing rotation at defensive end and played on special teams as a redshirt freshman in 2016. Overall in 2016 while appearing in 12 games (all but Utah), he had 5 tackles and a deflection. He had 1 tackle against Arizona State and Colorado, 2 stops at Arizona, a tackle against Orgon and a deflection at UCLA.
2015: Rector redshirted as a first-year freshman defensive end in 2015.
HIGH SCHOOL: He made 2014 Prep Star All-West Region, Tacoma News Tribune Western 100 and All-Mission League first team as a senior defensive end and tight end at Loyola High in Los Angeles (Calif.). He had 53 tackles, including 9 for losses (with 2 sacks), a fumble recovery and 2 forced fumbles in 2014.
As a junior in 2013, he made All-Serra League as he had 6 sacks and 2 deflections.
He also played basketball at Loyola. Current Trojans Jack Webster, Jac Casasante and Jordan McMillan also prepped at Loyola.
PERSONAL: He is a political economy and non-governmental organizations major at USC. In the spring of 2019, he interned with the non-profit Weingart Center’s General Relief Opportunities For Work Program, helping recently-released prisoners write resumes and apply for jobs. He was born in the British Virgin Islands. His mother, Allison, rowed at USC in the 1980s. His grandfather, Ron Rector, was a member of the 1950 Long Beach City College football team that won the Junior Rose Bowl and the junior college national championship, while his uncle, Morgan Rector, was a defensive end at Harvard (1982-83).
