Article content

LOS ANGELES — Being the grandson of a CFL standout provides some benefits. Just ask someone who coaches Leon McQuay III, defensive back for the University of Southern California.

“From an athletic standpoint, the kid is a freakish athlete,” said USC assistant Ronnie Bradford, a defensive back for 10 NFL seasons. “With that size, that speed, that type of power he can generate, it’s amazing.”

We apologize, but this video has failed to load.

tap here to see other videos from our team. Try refreshing your browser, or Rose Bowl safety inherited CFL standout grandfather’s skills, but lessons learned offer a different future Back to video

Being the grandson of a CFL standout also provides some burdens. Just ask McQuay, a 6-foot-1, 195-pound senior.

“Everybody who knows him and who knows me expects great things from me,” McQuay said while referring to his grandfather. “It is what it is. Like my dad said, ‘You can’t choose your parents. You can’t choose your family.’ So I just live with it and do the best I can.”

McQuay’s best helped his Trojans reach Monday’s Rose Bowl more than four decades after his late grandfather — also named Leon — stormed the CFL and enabled the Toronto Argonauts to reach the 1971 Grey Cup. Meanwhile, he plans for a future that will provide the off-the-field stability his grandfather never had.