NFL analyst Trent Dilfer appeared on ESPN Radio’s The Herd with Colin Cowherd Friday. Having broken down the film from Mark Sanchez’s season twice, Dilfer believes the USC quarterback is “the best quarterback in this draft.”
Dilfer went on to say, “He will translate immediately to a great pro, and there are a million reasons why. … He’s got a presence, and that goes a long, long way.”
Here’s Dilfer’s analysis of Sanchez.
Brian Matthews WeAreSC.com
Thursday afternoon’s spring practice gave the Trojan football players their first opportunity at full contact with the addition of shoulder pads with bone-crushing hit’s the theme of the day.
Once again the guest list was impressive; including the likes of Brian Cushing, Alex Holmes, Ryan Kalil, Patrick Turner, Kyle Moore, David Buehler, Greg Woidneck and Trey Henderson.
Gable Has Breakout Practice
Tailback C.J. Gable has had his fair share of ups-and-downs over the past year, but in the midst of an intense competition at the running back spot, Gable shined Thursday with his wide array of abilities.
Although no move to wide receiver is in store for Gable, he spent the beginning of practice working out with the receivers in an attempt to diversify his game.
“I just go down there with coach Johnny Mo (John Morton) and catch some passes with them,” explained Gable. “I just want to show them I can catch and so I hope later on I get some passes.
“You never can’t get better.”
Unquestionably the top performer at running back today, Gable will not be satisfied until he is the starting running back.
“That’s what I’m trying to do,” said Gable of his spring aspirations. “I’m just out there running hard, I gained like 20lbs, so I’m just coming out here and showing them I want to be the number one back.
“Coach Carroll told us we need to separate ourselves, so that’s what I’m going to do.”
The Sylmar (CA) native, now 212lbs, calculated this move to put on extra weight over the off-season. According to the tailback himself, he noticed some flaws in his game last year, and immediately sought out how to improve.
“I’ve added more power,” he said of the extra weight. “Last year I thought to myself I was kind of light when I was running, now I’m heavier and I feel good.
“I didn’t lose any speed though, our workouts keep us like that.”
Aside from the stable of tailbacks from last year, Curtis McNeal and Marc Tyler have really given each of the upperclassmen a run for their money.
Not going unnoticed, Gable understands he can not take plays off if he looks to be the starter for yet another season opener.
“We have to go hard all the time,” Gable said of the competition at running back. “With Moody (Curtis McNeal), you see him out there, he’s good and he’s strong as hell, and Marc (Tyler) is the same way.
“It’s better for us, we need competition. We can’t just come out here thinking it’s the same old competition, knowing that we’re the only three that are getting in. When they add in them it’s harder, and the summer will be harder because Allen Bradford is coming back.”
After entertaining the thought of jumping ranks to the NFL, Gable now looks back at the end of last year with a slight hint of regret.
Admittedly immature, Gable has come out this spring with a new attitude, and so far, new results.
“It’s fun coming out here,” he said of spring practices. “It’s like a game every time we come out here. I don’t want to leave yet, and I knew I wasn’t ready last year. I wasn’t mature enough to leave.
“With the way I was acting, that was not NFL status right there.”
Quoting Head Coach Pete Carroll
- On the announcement of Tim Floyd and his decision to remain at USC:
“Wasn’t that great? He’s coming back, and that’s awesome that he’s not going. That’s a great statement about his commitment to the university and the kids he’s working with and really to his hopes about establishing a great program. He’s obviously on the way, and to have the three years he’s had, I’m sure it’s extremely important to the players and our fans.”
- On the scrambling ability of Aaron Corp:
“Today was a really good example, two or three times he took off at the right time and the right situation for a first down on backbreaking plays. I don’t want to say Aaron will be a big runner, but he’s making very good decisions.”
- On the leader of the quarterback competition, Aaron Corp:
“I think he came in a little bit ahead, and in that regard he’s holding on to that.”
- On the first day of pads:
“It was fun, I can’t wait to see the film. I didn’t have to do anything or say anything, they just did it, and I had fun watching it. This is an energetic group and they have a lot of spunk and love playing football. Here we are week one day three of spring and we’re lighting it up.”
- On Stafon Johnson’s knee injury:
“Yeah, we’re worried about it a little bit. He’s got an MRI coming up, but he feels like he’s going to practice tomorrow. We’ll have to wait and see.”
- On Tyron Smith and his recent stint at right tackle:
“He’s been very impressive, he’s got everything you’re looking for in the tackle spot. We want to make sure we see him in the position with the first group and see what he looks like as a starter handling communications. So far he’s done very well.”
- On the improvement of the coaching staff with new special teams coordinator Brian Schneider:
“I think it’s an extraordinary improvement with Brian (Schneider) at special teams. It’s just so obvious, plus his style with the energy and juice he brings, that’s exactly how we like to practice. He does it just like the best guys we’ve ever had here.”
Practice Tidbits
- Players sitting out Thursday’s practice included Thomas Herring, Blake Ayles, Anthony McCoy, Stafon Johnson, Marshall Jones, Michael Reardon and Kris O’Dowd.
- The starting offensive line for the second practice in a row from left to right included Charles Brown, Alex Parsons, Jeff Byers, Nick Howell and Tyron Smith.
- Inside linebacker Chris Galippo had a very good showing today, with a few big hits to his name. Galippo just seems to be in the right spot at the right time, and his health will go a long way in determining the success of this team.
- Offensively, the MVP of the day hands down was C.J. Gable. Gable broke two long touchdown runs while mixing in a few nice receptions. Defensively, the standout performer was cornerback T.J. Bryant, who found his spot between the ball and receiver the entire practice.
- Aaron Corp had a solid practice, but made most of his noise with his feet, scrambling four or five times for timely first downs.
- Malcolm Smith intercepted a Matt Barkley pass during 7-on-7, a play which showed off the impressive physical abilities of Smith.
- Matt Barkley had the ball of the day when he connected 30 yards down the sideline to a streaking Ronald Johnson. The ball was placed perfectly as he hit the speedy wide out in stride.
- The catch of the day came from Damian Williams, who had beaten cornerback Brian Baucham down the sideline when Mitch Mustain under threw the ball, only to watch Williams make an acrobatic catch along the sidelines. Williams just looks so smooth going through his routes.
- Defensive end Nick Perry has been very impressive over the first three practices, and really seems to be finding his niche. Perry combined with Brian Baucham to lay a crushing hit on fullback D.J. Shoemate during team.
It's fitting because on Wednesday afternoon, Telfer took the same path that Spicer did, choosing the Trojans for his college destination. "I just felt at home when I went there and I can see myself going there and being a Trojan for the next four or five years," said Telfer. Telfer told assistant coach Brennan Carroll the news. "I committed to Brennan Carroll and he was very excited," said Telfer. "He was telling me about being a Trojan for life and stuff like that." Telfer said his family was thrilled with the news, and he was relieved to have it end. "Definitely, we're all rejoicing because this is big," said Telfer. Telfer had offers from most of the Pac-10 and some SEC schools but ultimately, chose the Trojans, and he'll be on campus this weekend to meet with the coaches. "I'm going to the school on Sunday to let everybody else know face to face," said Telfer. In Telfer, the Trojans land the #4-ranked tight end in the country.
Brandon Huffman Scout.com
Rancho Cucamonga (Calif.) tight end Randall Telfer watched an interview with former Cougar and current USC defensive lineman Averell Spicer on Wednesday night.
Sam Farmer
April 1, 2009
College pro days are, in a way, the NFL's version of the Internet's Twitter.
Short bursts of information -- some useful, some not.
Fleeting glimpses of a larger mosaic.
A blistering 40-yard dash here, a choreographed passing performance there, a sea of raised stopwatches, and -- voila! -- talent evaluators have a little clearer vision of who a pro prospect really is.
For a city that hasn't had an NFL team in 14 years, this is Super Bowl week, when all eyes are trained on Los Angeles. UCLA held its modest pro day Tuesday, and USC's standing-room-only extravaganza takes place today. The town is teeming with NFL coaches, general managers and scouts, all determined to gather every last bit of information on players who, a month from now, will cost them tens of millions of dollars.
Here, in keeping with Twitter's short-sentence rules, are some observations from the Bruins' pro day and the one the Trojans are about to stage:
* USC quarterback Mark Sanchez tops Georgia's Matt Stafford on a lot of draft boards.
* Don't be surprised if Sanchez goes fourth to Seattle. Half of the Seahawks' front office is in town.
* Sanchez was scheduled to meet Tuesday night with Seattle and Jacksonville brass, with Jags picking up dinner tab.
* Trips Sanchez has already made: Detroit, San Francisco and St. Louis.
* Ranking Trojans' top 3 linebackers: 1. Brian Cushing (1st round); 2. Rey Maualuga (1st); 3. Clay Matthews (late 1st/early 2nd).
* UCLA's highest-rated prospect? Punter Aaron Perez, who impressed scouts by booming some kicks into the ozone layer.
* Rick Neuheisel says future pro days will be a bigger deal for the Bruins. With his recruiting, he's right.
* It was a good day for UCLA safety Bret Lockett, who bench-pressed 225 pounds 19 times and ran his best 40 in 4.45 seconds.
* Tailback Kahlil Bell, UCLA's only combine invitee, ran ho-hum 40 times of 4.72 and 4.75. Scouts see him as a late-round battering ram.
* For a running back, one-tenth of a second in the 40 is like the difference between a Ferrari and a Ford Focus.
* Unbelievable: The most impressive Trojan at the combine was kicker David Buehler, who was faster and stronger than USC's linebackers.
* Oft-hobbled UCLA QB Ben Olson was a spectator. He re-injured his foot but hopes to run in 2-3 weeks.
* Agent Chuck Price, who reps Matt Leinart, was at UCLA's pro day. Says Leinart is in better shape now than in any previous March.
* Price says Leinart was inspired this off-season by Tom Brady. The two worked out at the same L.A.-area gym, as did Reggie Bush.
* A ton of teams are in the market for a quarterback, including San Francisco, the Jets and Denver, which now hopes to trade Jay Cutler.
* Bruins QB Patrick Cowan, out last season, threw some beautiful deep balls. Third QB somewhere?
* You want tough? Check out former UCLA middle linebacker Christian Taylor, who played his last 1 1/2 seasons with a torn biceps.
* USC's pro day might be big, but it won't match the 2006 version that included Leinart, Bush and easily more than 1,000 spectators.
* The highest-profile NFL types at UCLA were Vikings Coach Brad Childress and Green Bay GM Ted Thompson. Today will be a who's who.
Count USC quarterback Mark Sanchez in that second group.
The consensus at USC on Wednesday was that Sanchez had an excellent performance in front of a full house that included NFL scouts and coaches, family and friends, and even a few fans in the stands. He showed balance, solid footwork and most importantly, accuracy on all of his throws. He estimated that he threw about 80 passes — a strong number for a pro day workout.
There were even whispers that Sanchez’s pro day was better than that of Georgia’s Matt Stafford. Again, whispers. But Sanchez was confident and effortless, and did nothing but help himself.
“I think he showed better arm strength than people generally give him,” NFL Network analyst Mike Mayock said. “He’s not Stafford, he’s not [Kansas State's Josh] Freeman; but his arm is every bit as good as Matt Ryan’s. And as Matt Ryan showed this year, when you’re accurate and you show good anticipation, a good arm is good enough. That’s what Matt is, and that’s what Mark Sanchez is. What he showed is consistency.”
If his draft stock is indeed rising, as it appears to be, Sanchez says it’s due to his competitiveness.
“I think a lot of it has just been my competitive nature, that’s really come to the forefront,” Sanchez said. “I think my willingness to work out for everyone, to make every throw. We had a set script coming into this, and a couple teams wanted to tweak it a little bit and add some throws here and there. I said, ‘No problem, let’s do it.’ And I nailed it. I think that attitude is really showing.”
Sanchez did add to his throwing script, and the Lions were one of the teams that requested some extra looks. Sanchez will have a private visit with the Lions in about two weeks.
A college quarterback with only 16 starts might raise red flags, but part of the draw on Sanchez is his ability to learn quickly, and his willingness to do everything teams ask of him. He went through a full workout at the combine — doing every drill — and showed that competitive nature again today.
“I’ll tell you right now, that means something to these NFL guys,” Mayock said. “He’s not hiding anything, he’s not guarding anything. I really think he stepped up today and showed that he has confidence in his ability and he executed on it. I think he had a great day.”
The caveat, of course, is that quarterbacks better look good at their pro day.
“I’ve never seen a guy not complete 99.9 percent of his passes against air,” one general manager commented.
Sanchez effectively sidestepped a question about where he’ll be picked in the first round, but used the word “honor” about being the No. 1 pick. He’s more concerned about being in the right system and being with the right team than draft number. Yes, he’s saying all the right things. Yet the indications are from those in the know that Sanchez could be picked anywhere among the top 20 picks — and it wouldn’t be a shock.
It’s beginning to look as we get closer to draft day that Sanchez could prove to be an early wild card of the draft.
USC QB Mark Sanchez reportedly had an "excellent" showing at the Trojans' Pro Day Wednesday.
30 teams showed up. He made about 80 throws -- doubling Matt Stafford at Georgia's Pro Day -- and there were reportedly "whispers" that Sanchez's workout was better than Stafford's. "(Sanchez's) arm is every bit as good as Matt Ryan’s," NFL Network's Mike Mayock said. "I think he had a great day." Apr. 1 - 8:38 pm et
Source: NFL.com
Scott Schrader WeAreSC.com
In the last recruiting cycle, USC had more verbal commits at this point last year than its ever had before. And three of those early verbal commits, Randall Carroll from Los Angeles Cathedral, Morrell Presley from Carson and Alshon Jeffrey from Calhoun County (SC), ended up signing letters of intent at other schools.
USC currently has two verbally committed prospects and two months ago, DJ Morgan from Woodland Hills Taft told us, “I know I’m not taking any trips to other schools, I’m a Trojan.”
Dillon Baxter, from Mission Bay in San Diego, verbally committed to USC when he was offered a scholarship after USC’s Rising Stars camp last June. Baxter was asked if he had any plans to take unofficial or official visits to other schools.
“I’m pretty firm with my commitment and I know I’m not going to visit any other schools but SC,” Baxter said. “I don’t really know about D.J. (Morgan), but I’m committed strongly.”
Although Baxter is a solid verbal commit and has no interest in other schools, that hasn’t stopped college coaches from around the country from attempting to persuade him to change his mind.
“There are colleges that are telling me I should think about what I am getting into, because USC always has the top players and you might not start, but if you come here, you’ll start for sure,” said Baxter when asked if he’s experienced any negative recruiting. “There’s a lot of stuff college coaches tell me to try and change my mind, but in my eyes, I’m a competitor, so I like competing with the best people. I know I’m going to the right school.”
Some of the schools that have offered Baxter in the past few months include Tennessee, California, Notre Dame, UCLA, Florida State, Penn State and Oregon has begun talking to him.
It seems as if an early verbal commit from a solid prospect has been the point man in rallying other USC prospects the past three years. They make phone calls, send text messages, chat on MySpace and FaceBook, and do whatever it takes to aid in the Trojans’ recruiting effort. In 2007 it was Chris Galippo, in 2008 it was DJ Shoemate and last year it was Matt Barkley and TJ McDonald. This year, Coach Caroll has asked Dillon to take on that role.
“Well, Coach (Pete) Carroll told me that I was the main cow with the bell on my neck,” said Baxter. “So, I guess that means I’m at least one of the main guys to start rallying people for our class. I think him just being Pete Carroll and having a great program will make it easy to do a good job of doing that.”
Pete Carroll is obviously the biggest draw to USC and Baxter shed some light as to why he believes that’s the case.
“He’s one of the greatest coaches and a great guy in general,” said Baxter about Carroll. “He doesn’t just care about you as a football player, he cares about what you do with your life. So, I like him a lot.”
Baxter was also impressed with USC’s new assistant head coach for offense and quarterbacks coach, Jeremy Bates. They met when Baxter attended USC's Junior Day in February.
“I liked him a lot and I look forward to working with him,” said Baxter about Coach Bates.
There’s been many discussions on various message board about the role Baxter will play at USC because of his versatility. He’s a natural receiver with great hands and runs solid and crisp routes, but he’s also an extremely talented runner.
“They said they’re going to use me as a running back, but they’re going to switch me in and out at different positions,” said Baxter.
Now that his basketball season is over, Baxter is focusing his attention on football and will attend two elite camps this spring and summer.
“I will attend the Nike Camp at USC on April 19, after that I’ll attend the Rising Stars Camp for USC,” Baxter said.
WeAreSC will provide coverage of the Nike Camp and speak to Baxter after the camp to get his thoughts on the competition and his performance.
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.
Scott Wolf The Daily Breeze Nothing got decided on the first day of spring practice at USC unless you consider the debut of quarterback Matt Barkley big news. Considering that Barkley was the Gatorade National Player of the Year after his junior year at Mater Dei High in Santa Ana, plenty of fans were thrilled to watch the big freshman at Howard Jones Field on Saturday. Barkley did not disappoint on his first pass, a deep completion over the middle to wide receiver Damian Williams. But he threw incompletions on his next two attempts, which is to be expected for a freshman. Or a high school senior who graduated early. "I was having a blast out there," Barkley said. "I've been waiting for so long since the season ended. I thought I did OK. I didn't think I did too bad for the first day. "The timing I'm still trying to get down with the individual receivers or individual routes." Barkley gave himself a "B,B-," for his first practice. "Everyone comments on the speed of the defense but at the same time the receivers are better too," Barkley said. "I have to get used to checking down to the running backs and letting them do their things. We've got some good running backs." Barkley was the first quarterback to work with the first-team offense Saturday, continuing a Carroll tradition of letting freshman get an early look with the starters to show what they can do. Quarterback Aaron Corp appeared the smoothest during drills and gave himself a B grade. "Day 1 was good but it's only going to get harder," Corp said. "I did some good things. But I can do better. We fumbled some snaps but otherwise it was a good day for the offense." Mitch Mustain was one of the quarterbacks who fumbled a snap but said he had a strong practice. "I felt good, our wide receivers were super fast and our offensive line didn't miss a beat," Mustain said. New quarterbacks coach Jeremy Bates, who will call plays next season, stressed it was too early to make any judgments on the quarterback position. "That was one of the fastest practices I've ever been a part of," Bates said. "It's too soon. We need to see if everyone can handle the same offense," he said. Defensive end Everson Griffen and tight end Anthony McCoy were held out of practice for missing a morning workout. "I missed the 6 a.m. (workout)," Griffen said. USC's search for a kicker did not get off a to a strong start. Joe Houston had a kick blocked, missed another and made one field goal. Jordan Congdon made his first attempt, then missed his next two. JC transfer Jake Harfman arrives in the fall but Carroll said he will proceed as if he'll just have the current group of kickers. "The way I've decided to go about it is to act like nobody else is coming in," Carroll said. "If Jake has problems or issues (being admitted) and it doesn't work out, we'll know where we stand." Quarterback Garrett Green will also be used at wide receiver since the Trojans have three other quarterbacks in spring practice with Barkley's arrival. Carroll said cornerback Josh Pinkard will primarily play safety but also work at cornerback in the spring. "His evaluation tape from last season was extraordinary," Carroll said. Tight end Xavier Grimble (6-foot-5, 245 pounds) of Las Vegas attended practice. Grimble lists USC as one of his top choices and is expected to make his college choice before the season.Disciplinary measures
Kick ball
Two-way player
Recruit watch
Brian Matthews WeAreSC.com
The months of anticipation and restlessness have come to an end with the kickoff of spring practices Saturday. Brian Kennedy-Howard Jones Field was packed to capacity as the Trojans begin their title aspirations in 2009 with an impressive group of onlookers in attendance.
Guests to Saturday’s practice included Marquis Simmons, Darrell Rideaux, Chilo Rachal, Marquis Jackson, Dominique Blackman, Yogi Roth, Justin Wyatt, Chris Claiborne, Malaefou MacKenzie, Kevin Ellison, Brian Cushing, Rey Maualuga, Keary Colbert, Deuce Latui, James Boyd, Hebron “Loni” Fangupo and John Robinson.
Corp Talks First Day
With the quarterback competition wide open at this point in time, the majority of first string reps have fallen on the lap of redshirt sophomore Aaron Corp.
The former Orange Lutheran (CA) star took to Brian Kennedy-Howard Jones Field Saturday with an agenda in mind.
“The first day was good,” said Corp of his performance. “I thought the offense did really well and we’ll just go from here.”
The competition, which is clearly still in it’s inception stage, will continue to go on throughout the remainder of spring.
Corp, well aware of this, understands the key to him holding down the top spot on the depth chart.
“It’s only going to get harder,” said Corp of the competition to obtain the starting spot. “We’ll start to widdle down the reps in the next couple weeks, but right now it looks pretty good.”
New offensive coach Jeremy Bates has made a few changes to the terminology portion of the offensive play calls, and Corp enjoys what he’s seen thus far from the former Denver Broncos offensive coordinator.
“It’s very similar,” said Corp of the subtle changes in verbiage new offensive coach Jeremy Bates has made. “If anything, he’s made it easier, there’s nothing more to that.”
Following weeks of work with the coaches without footballs, Corp was glad to have the pigskin back in his grasp, a far cry from the cones used while the coaches were in attendance.
“We got a ball out here for the first time,” said Corp of the difference in the first day. “It was real good, and I’m really looking forward to working with him (Bates).
“I think I had a good day, but I just need to keep improving.”
The repetitions favored Corp Saturday, although this rotation should change on a daily basis as the coaches look to see how individuals respond to each of the positions on the depth chart.
“No, I knew a couple days ago how it was going to be,” he said of how the repetitions were distributed. “We’ll know the day before from here until next week.
“They told us especially not to look into the reps. We’re going to try out and its an open competition, so he’s going to try guys out at all of the spots on the depth chart.”
The competition has received plenty of press, although Corp claims that blocking out the pressure is what will keep him successful.
“No, I’m totally focused on me and how I can help the offense,” he said. “The only thing I can do is improve.”
Before parting ways, Corp was asked to give a grade on Saturday’s performance.
“I would say a ’B’,” said Corp when asked to grade his first day’s performance. “I did some good things, but I can get better and keep improving when I come back.”
Quoting Pete Carroll
- On the first day of spring practice:
“It was a good first day, typical all in all. We got some good solid work, everybody was humming around and running around, and this is really our longest practice that we hold just to get a lot of stuff on film for the first day and get a couple days to look at it.
“We’ll start up with a real serious week Tuesday, and it was a good start and everything work out fine.”
- On which, if any of the quarterbacks stood out opening day:
“I didn’t think so, I didn’t see much of that. Just mixing and matching with the groups, Jeremy (Bates) got Matt (Barkley) in there with the first group in the team period. He got his reps right off the bat, and hit a seem route on the first play. The guys were getting excited about it, then he couldn’t find a guy on the next one.
“He’s got a big smile on his face about it and you can see him really competing trying to get all of the calls right. I think it’s really interesting to watch him (Barkley), because it’s a unique opportunity for us to look at a freshman playing ball like this. Aaron (Corp) and Mitch (Mustain) were both very comfortable, which is good, and Garrett (Green) likewise.”
- On how the evaluation of the quarterbacks will work out:
“We’re just going to work them in with each of the groups and over time we’ll really have good evaluations in live situations. We’ll watch and monitor what we’re doing and the plays and opportunities they get, and in time we’ll try and do the same with the other guys to get a direct comparison.
“It’s a subjective, long process to solve this and we’ll just wait it out.”
- On which of the two safety positions Taylor Mays will play:
“He’ll play both sides, and we do want to get him some work on the other side more so than he’s had a couple years ago. He’s been pretty solidly entrenched in the free safety spot, it’s for a lot of reasons, but we want to make sure he can do everything.
“It’s not just for Taylor though, it’s for the other guys like Will (Harris) and Josh (Pinkard). We always look for the guys who fit best on one side or the other, and we’re just trying to figure out what we’ve got.”
- On the practice position of Garrett Green:
“He’s doing everything. He’s running up here for punt team and he’s holding for the kicks, he’s playing quarterback and he’s going to play receiver before spring is over.”
- Both Everson Griffen and Anthony McCoy missed Saturday’s workout due to academic reasons:
“He and Anthony McCoy were handling school stuff today.”
- With walk-on tryouts immediately following practice, Carroll was asked if he had found another walk-on capable of contributing:
“Well not yet, but the level of competition in practice really stepped up compared to this group. There were a couple of guys here, maybe there will be another Ben Malcolmson here.”
- On the status of tailback Joe McKnight:
“They’re just making sure he’s okay. He can run full speed and all of that, we just don’t want him to push it yet so we can get a good spring out of him. I would say by next week he will do almost everything barring any setbacks.”
- On the competition at the kicker spot minus Jake Harfman for the spring:
“The way I’ve decided to do it is g about it like we don’t have anyone else coming in. If Jake (Harfman) has problems or issues we’ll know where we stand after spring.”
Practice Notes
- Tailbacks Allen Bradford and Joe McKnight both dressed for Saturday’s practice, although neither fully participated in practice.
- The starting offensive line from left to right was comprised of Charles Brown, Zack Heberer, Jeff Byers, Alex Parsons and Butch Lewis.
- The starting defensive line, minus Everson Griffen Saturday, included Armond Armstead, Christian Tupou, Averell Spicer and Nick Perry.
- Will Harris and Taylor Mays occupied both starting safety positions, with Shareece Wright and Kevin Thomas the starting cornerbacks.
- The run of the day came for Stafon Johnson, who took a handoff left before making something out of nothing and taking if for a touchdown.
- Linebacker Chris Galippo and defensive end Wes Horton both recorded sacks on the day. Galippo followed that up by nearly intercepting the first pass during team drills.
- Tight end Blake Ayles sat out as expected, and his return date remains a mystery.
Dan Woike USCFootball.com
Picking a quarterback seems simple enough. Watch all the guys competing for the job and pick the best one.
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| Gerard Martinez | |
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| USC head coach Pete Carroll won't rush the decision when it comes to naming a starting quarterback. |
