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Transfer: Aaron Corp Leaving USC for Richmond

It was the hot rumor this week, which Aaron's dad, Chris Corp, kept trying to downplay this week.  Now it seems all but done that he will transfer to the University of Richmond, which is Division I-AA (or FCS).  USC has already granted him a release.

Up to this point, Aaron's stated that he wants to stay at SC and earn his degree, but it's hard to turn your back on the chance of making it to the NFL.  I don't blame him one bit for the move.  He really had no future at SC with Barkley at the helm and Mustain taking over the back-up spot.  Wish him the best of luck.

Mitch Mustain Now the #2 QB Behind Barkley

From the Official blog:

Mitch Mustain took most of the second-team reps, and Coach Carroll acknowledged that the junior is "a little bit ahead" of fellow backup quarterback Aaron Corp for the No. 2 role behind starter Matt Barkley. "The competition stays open," Carroll said.

Mitch is coming off one of his best practices on Friday where he went 10-12 for 141-yards and 2 TDs. Gotta feel for Aaron Corp, kid has officially hit rock bottom.

Thoughts on Matt Barkley Being Named the Starting QB

Earlier today I was absolutely shocked by the announcement of Matt Barkley winning the starting QB job, but after reading Scott Wolf's latest report on Aaron Corp's injury status, the choice makes absolute sense:

It was apparent during Thursday's practice that Aaron Corp's leg bothered him. What's ironic is it looked worse than it did Tuesday or Wednesday. Was it the result of being demoralized over the QB announcement?

"It's going to be awhile (with Corp),'' Carroll said. ``I can see it. He's not OK. I thought about it in terms of being his dad. I need to protect him longer.''

Although Aaron put together solid practices this week, reports did come out stating that he looked visibly uncomfortable when planting on certain throws, especially on the run.  Even his quote after Tuesday's practice seem to acknowledge his limitations:

"I can do everything right now that playing quarterback at USC [requires] me to do,"

At the end of the day, despite Aaron's admirable desire to fight through pain to earn the starting QB job, it does no one any good to have a injured player starting at the most important position on the team. We all saw what happened at the Coliseum in 2007 against Stanford when John David Booty tried to play through a pinky injury on his throwing hand (for those that lived under a rock: he ended up being picked off 4 times including one late in the game that eventually set up the winning drive for Stanford).  To me it's clear, you go with a healthy Barkley over a hobbled Aaron Corp.

Congrats to Matt.

Video: ESPN's Joe Schad on USC's QB Situation and Notre Dame's Outlook

On the QB situation, I've mentioned before that I think Aaron should get the nod because of his steady play, but based on the latest reports and Coach Carroll's timetable, it looks like Barkley will start against San Jose State.

On Notre Dame, I agree with Joe, I think they're going to surprise a lot of people record wise.  They've got a group that is gelling together and their schedule is cake.  I could see them posting up a 9-3 (give or take a win) record for the year. The game in South Bend this year definitely won't be a quick run-through.

MRI Results Show a Cracked Fibula in Aaron Corp's Leg

From the Official Blog:

Quarterback Aaron Corp has a small crack on the head of his left fibula and will be out for one to two weeks, doctors determined after an MRI today. 

The redshirt sophomore, who entered camp as the starter, was rolled onto by a lineman during Monday's practice. Team doctors determined he has no ligament damage and will not need surgery. 

"This is an unfortunate setback for Aaron but we're encouraged by the diagnosis and that he's going to return quickly," Coach Pete Carroll said.

Corp said he was thankful the injury is fairly minimal.

"It's the best-case scenario for this situation," Corp said. "I'll keep rehabbing and hopefully be back soon."

Definitely good news considering how serious the injury could have been. Sanchez had a far more serious injury last season and was fine for the season opener, so this should be a minor setback.

Barkley will push hard to try to take over the #1 spot, but I still think Aaron has the starting spot on lock as long as he remains steady.  I just don't see the coaches handing the ball to a high-risk/high-reward freshman over a player that is known to be a game manager and has a extra year in the system.  It didn't happen with Leinart-Booty, Booty-Sanchez, or Sanchez-Mustain and I don't see it happening with Corp-Barkley.

Aaron Corp to Undergo an MRI Tomorrow for Possible Knee Injury

From Scott Wolf:

Quarterback Aaron Corp, who missed practice because of a bruised knee, will undergo an MRI tomorrow. He underwent X-rays today and met with doctors.

"It hurt too much,'' Corp said. "I woke up this morning and it was swollen. Over the course of practice, it felt looser and looser.''

As someone who has gone through multiple knee injuries, Aaron's description definitely does not sound good. To wake up in pain with your knee swollen and then feel gradual looseness, it sounds like ligament damage to me.  Hopefully it's nothing more than a strain...

Fall Camp Day 1: Matt Barkley Comes Out Firing, Corp Remains Steady; Frankie Telfort Named Student-Coach

From LATimes.com:

"Aaron's in the lead position and he came out and looked like he felt very comfortable with that," Coach Pete Carroll said.

Freshman Matt Barkley and junior Mitch Mustain also performed well as the Trojans went through a 2 1/2 -hour workout without pads.

Barkley, No. 2 on the depth chart, made several impressive throws, including a long touchdown to freshman receiver De'Von Flournoy, but acknowledged that he is still learning the Trojans' audible system and that he must refrain from trying to force passes.

Quarterbacks coach Jeremy Bates compared Barkley to Chicago Bears quarterback Jay Cutler, whom Bates tutored with the Denver Broncos.

"He's a lot like Cutler -- every ball he thinks he can complete," Bates said.

Carroll animatedly addressed Barkley after the freshman completed an ill-advised pass to tight end Anthony McCoy. The ball, delivered under heavy pressure, had been tipped by safety Will Harris and should have been intercepted.

"[Carroll] said 'Don't do that. Take a sack. Don't even think about that,' " Barkley said, later adding, "I know I have a strong arm but you got to hold back sometimes because it can come back and bite you. I just have to realize that sometimes it's not there."

I like the comparison of Barkley to Cutler.  Matt still has too many bad tendencies to seriously make a push for the starting spot; as long as Aaron remains steady, he'll get the nod against San Jose St.  This QB battle reminds me a lot of last year's between Mark and Mitch with all the hype.  The real battle will come during the season or next year if Aaron doesn't live up to the high standards.

In the same article above, it mentions that Frankie Telfort, who recently had to end his career at SC before it started due to a heart condition, was named a student-coach:

Frankie Telfort,an incoming freshman linebacker who cannot play because of a heart condition, will serve as a "student coach," Carroll said.

Telfort, from Miami, spent the morning walk-through helping linebackers coach Ken Norton direct freshman linebackers through the defense.

Under NCAA rules, a student coach is "any coach who is a student-athlete who has exhausted his or her eligibility in the sport or has become injured to the point that he or she is unable to practice or compete ever again."

Glad to see Frankie is still actively involved with the team.

Aaron Corp Named Starter for The Huddle

photo from uscripsit.com

From LATimes.com:

Sophomore Aaron Corp has been named USC's starting quarterback for Saturday's scrimmage and will keep the role throughout the summer and into training camp, Coach Pete Carroll said today.

Carroll said on his website that Corp was in the lead to replace Mark Sanchez, an edge the former Orange Lutheran High star held over freshman Matt Barkley and junior Mitch Mustain throughout spring practice.

No surprise here. As well as Matt's played, he's a bit too out-of-control to start at this point.  Even late in his career at Mater Dei, he had habits you knew would cause problems at the next level like trying to rely too much on his arm and taking on the gunslinger mentality.

This of course is no slight against Matt since he's clearly much further ahead than any freshman QB we've had in the Pete Carroll era, but when you line him up against Aaron, who has played steady and consistent without committing any errors, you have to give the nod to Aaron.  The fact is, you really don't need to play out of your mind as the QB of SC; you simply need to manage the game and not commit momentum-changing turnovers.  Aaron fits that mold.

Not saying Aaron is poised to take us to the NC, but for now, in the current situation, he is the best candidate to lead the offense.

Rivals Video: Aaron Corp Talks About Winter Workouts

Air Corp talks about Damian being one of the leaders on the team and makes a few comments on Matt Barkley.  

Aaron Corp Mic'd Up @ Practice

Nice little video of Aaron mic'd up at practice.  I thought Sarks comments in the video were more interesting than anything from Aaron.  Nevertheless, another great video from USCRipsIt.com.