Upon becoming the new head coach at USC last month, Lane Kiffin stated in no uncertain terms that everyone currently on the roster would come into 2010 with a clean slate. And that every starting job would be up for grabs.
Yes, that included the quarterback position manned last year by Matt Barkley, the “precocious” true freshman who was the object of a year-long bromance on the part of former coach Pete Carroll.
Asked by the Orange County Register if he was concerned about Kiffin’s stance, Barkley said he wasn’t in the least. In fact, he seemed to look forward to a “competition” that wouldn’t have been if Carroll had stayed in town.
“I like it. I like his mentality and I like the fact that, including myself, we’re going to have to work hard, no matter what,” Barkley told the paper. “That just goes back to the whole philosophy of competition. You can’t take anything for granted. I’m not just going to sit around. I’m going to work the guys that I’m working with that are going to push me to be better. I think it’s good for the whole team.”
Barkley, who said his wrist feels “a lot better” since undergoing minor surgery last month, also added that he doesn’t “have any fear of not being the starting quarterback.”
