Matt Barkley will be talked about all season long in much the same way Andrew Luck was last year, as the consensus #1 pick in next year’s NFL Draft. Of the list of other QB contenders that might wrest the top spot from him, it doesn’t seem likely that he will not be the first passer gone and likely the first of all players.
I was glad to see Barkely stay for his senior season, as I am to see others do the same, like Tebow did after winning the national championship in his junior year. Tebow needed to get better, Barkely probably had a couple of other reasons and getting better wasn’t at the top of the list. With USC’s disciplinary problems, Barkely has quarterbacked the Trojans through a tough time and kept them at the elite level they were when they were doing the things that got them into trouble in the first place and that was no easy task and seeing it through to his senior year had more personal value to him. Secondly, with Luck and Robert Griffin III in this year’s draft, waiting until 2013 would give him a much better chance of getting the #1 slot.
Most players benefit from staying an extra year in the college game for both personal and physical maturation, but if the money is right, it is time to go no matter what sport you play, because you can always go back and get the degree, but you can’t always guarantee what might happen from one year to the next. Stay healthy this year Mr. Barkely and get some insurance.