USC's 'evaluation process' begins

MICHAEL LEV OCRegister.com

The intrigue of spring first sprouted on a strange winter day, and it's about to blossom into a full-grown battle that has all of college football keeping an eye on USC.

The moment Mark Sanchez announced he would forgo his fifth year of eligibility and enter the 2009 NFL draft, the seeds were planted for a captivating quarterback competition. The combatants take the field for the first official spring practice Saturday striving for the starting spot.

Not to place undue pressure on Aaron Corp, Mitch Mustain and Matt Barkley, but consider the following: Sanchez threw 34 touchdown passes in helping the Trojans to their seventh consecutive Pac-10 title and 11-plus-victory season. No other school has done that.

Of course, USC coach Pete Carroll never has asked his quarterbacks – all of whom have graduated to the NFL – to carry the team or even the offense. The Trojans return their entire offensive line and go six-deep at tailback, so whoever wins the QB job will have plenty of support.

"We're going to take a long, hard look at how they're managing the team, managing the information, running the system, them having success – all that stuff," said Carroll, who called the evaluation process "a big, general overview of how they're producing at the position and how comfortable they are."

Corp (Orange Lutheran High) and Mustain have the advantage of more time spent in the system.; both are entering their third years at USC. Even though the coaching staff has changed – receivers coach John Morton will coordinate the offense, and newcomer Jeremy Bates will coach the quarterbacks – the scheme mostly will remain the same.

Barkley accelerated his learning curve by graduating early from Mater Dei and enrolling at USC to make himself eligible for spring practice. Despite his freshman status, the strong-armed Barkley has a legitimate chance to win the job, assuming he can display the game-management skills Carroll and the staff are seeking.

Senior Garrett Green is the fourth quarterback on the depth chart. But Carroll said the versatile Green primarily would practice at receiver, leaving the majority of the reps to Corp, Mustain and Barkley.

Although quarterback unquestionably is the spotlight position, it isn't the only one worth monitoring this spring. The others include:

• Linebacker. USC will have three new starters with Rey Maualuga, Brian Cushing and Kaluka Maiava prepping for the draft. The favorites are Chris Galippo (Servite), Michael Morgan and Malcolm Smith. Galippo must prove he can stay healthy after back problems derailed him in his first two seasons and mononucleosis struck him during winter workouts.

• Defensive line. Again, the Trojans are auditioning for three starting spots. Nose tackle Christian Tupou is the lone holdover, although junior defensive end Everson Griffen began last season as a starter before losing his job to Clay Matthews. Now a veteran in an otherwise youthful group, Griffen needs to bring his work ethic and intensity up to the level of his immense talent. That will be the top project of new DL coach Jethro Franklin.

• Defensive back. Sensing a theme here? USC lost eight defensive starters in all from a unit that ranked first in the nation in scoring defense and second in total defense. The secondary absorbed the fewest blows and will benefit greatly from the surprising return of All-America safety Taylor Mays, who could have been a first-round pick had he declared for the draft. The coaches moved starting cornerback Josh Pinkard to his natural position of safety, padding the depth there and opening opportunities at corner.

• Kicker and punter. USC lost both but did gain a special-teams coordinator in Brian Schneider, late of the Oakland Raiders staff. Whoever ascends to the top of the depth chart at those spots will face further competition in August from junior-college transfer Jacob Harfman.