T. J. McDonald

Timothy "T. J." McDonald, Jr. (born January 26, 1991) is an American football safety for the Los Angeles Rams of the National Football League (NFL). He was drafted by the Rams in the third round of the 2013 NFL Draft. He played college football at USC.

Early years

McDonald was born in Fresno, California. He attended Edison High School in Fresno, where he played high school football for the Edison Tigers. He was considered the second-best safety recruit in the nation by Rivals.com and Scout.com.

College career

McDonald enrolled in University of Southern California, where he played for the USC Trojans football team from 2009 to 2012. As a freshman in 2009, McDonald was a backup safety and special teamer, recording seven tackles in 13 games. In 2010 he took over as a starter and had a team leading 89 tackles, three interceptions and a quarterback sack. He was a second-team All-Pacific-10 Conference selection. After a successful junior season in 2011, McDonald was highly decorated with awards. He was a first-team All-Pac-12 selection and received first-team All-American honors from Pro Football Weekly and The Sporting News.