Heading into summer camp, Aaron Corp was #1 and true freshman Matt Barkley was #2 on Southern Cal’s quarterback depth chart.
The latter, however, has every intention of flipping the Trojan script before the regular-season opener September 5.
Call it the hubris of youth, or define it as well-placed confidence, Barkley’s one goal this summer is to be under center when Southern Cal takes the field against San Jose State.
“I’m out to get that spot,” Barkley said Friday. “I came here to compete, like everyone talks about. That’s pretty much the theme of the program. My goal is to start this year. ... The competition, it’s on.”
Both players spent the time between the end of spring practice and the start of summer camp currying the favors of their teammates, with Barkley inviting the offensive line over for a barbeque and some MMA pay-per-view, and Corp getting together with his top receivers to work on the passing game.
As the “elder” statesman of the two, Corp knows that what happened during spring and then in the interim really doesn’t guarantee much when it comes down to who will ultimately take his place atop the depth chart. Still, the sophomore knows that the edge he carries from spring could be a springboard to the top spot.
“I’m going to be given this advantage going into camp. If I can just keep my foot down and keep performing, that should solidify it. That’s what I’m trying to do,” Corp said.
If Barkley does indeed intend on unseating Corp, he’ll be bucking some pretty solid history; during Pete Carroll‘s eight seasons at Southern Cal, the starting QB exiting spring has been the starting QB entering the regular season.
