Photo by Jae C Hong (A/P)
In a surprising development, freshman Matt Barkley has been named starting quarterback for the University of Southern California football team.
Barkley has been taking most of the first team snaps in practice following a leg injury to sophomore quarterback, Aaron Corp.
Corp earlier had been named the starter after showing some great poise and leadership during spring practice; however, the leg injury did not give him enough time to get in sync with the rest of the offense after returning to practice on Tuesday.
According to a report from the Associated Press:
“Coach Pete Carroll unexpectedly announced his decision Thursday, several hours before practice and two days before USC's mock game.”
Matt Barkley was considered by many to be the number one recruit this past year after playing high school football in the Orange County area. Barkley graduated from high school early so he could enroll at USC and take part in spring camp earlier this year.
It is a somewhat stunning turn of events. However, if Barkley is as good as advertised, he should be able to slide comfortably into the starting position, especially with the level of high-profile talent around him.
Recent news:
Walk-on Jordan Congdon walks into starting job at kicker
O'Dowd on the O'rebound
Training camp update: Trojans in the NFL (Part IV)
Photo finish: A look at USC's Fall Camp 2009
Mark Sanchez named starting QB for the Jets
Trojans vs. Buckeyes gets the 3-D treatment
School is back in session:
USC 101: History of the Song Girl
USC 101: Meet Pete Carroll (Part I)
USC 101: Meet Pete Carroll (Part II)
USC 101: A look at the Trojans 2009 football schedule
USC 101: The many ways to catch USC football in 2009
Comments