(Writer’s note: For those of you wondering, I’m back writing at CFT, joining forces with renowned rebel leader John Taylor. It might take me some time to get up to speed, but I’ll do my best.)
When Spring Practice broke last season for the Trojans, Pete Carroll named Aaron Corp the starting quarterback for the 2009 Trojans, based on the strength of his flawless performance, out-playing early enrollee freshman Matt Barkley and former all-word recruit Mitch Mustain.
The decision lasted all of zero games, as a leg injury to Corp and the promise of the dazzling freshman got Carroll to change his mind even though Corp was back and healthy for the season opener.
When Corp finally got his chance to start for an injured Barkley, he spit the bit, losing his first start in a hostile Husky Stadium in a shocking 16-13 upset to Washington. He never threw another pass for the Trojans.
Carroll went back to Barkley and stuck with the freshman event after he came crashing back down to Earth as the Trojans season unraveled. The move made sense -- Carroll was playing for the future -- but it also went against one of the fundamental tenets of Carroll’s “always compete” mantra, and the decision to keep Barkley in the saddle for the remainder of the season may have cost him his backup quarterback.
News began to break today on various websites and local Los Angeles radio that Corp plans to transfer out of the USC football program. While Corp went on the record on New Years Eve saying that he hadn’t made up his mind, it sounds like he’ll walk away from a football team where the plans at quarterback are written on the wall.
Corp will likely sit out a season and have two years of eligibility remaining.
