USC lands early commitment from top junior QB Barkley
As quickly as it started, it also ended for the nation's top prospect in the 2009 class.
Matt Barkley, the five-star junior quarterback from Santa Ana (Calif.) Mater Dei, committed to USC last week. Barkley turned down a slew of national offers and ended the recruiting process before it could get started.
"I am very excited about my decision, it is one that my family and I have given serious consideration to and have prayed about a great deal," Barkley said.
"I chose USC because I simply love the football program and because of the great education I will receive. There is an incredible tradition of competition, excellence, enthusiasm and winning that I am excited to be a part of. I have the greatest respect for Pete Carroll, Steve Sarkisian and the entire coaching staff and what they have accomplished. I look forward to playing football for them."
Barkley said he made the decision also because it will allow him to get the pressure of recruiting out of the way, and it'll make things easier on his family and for his teammates during his senior season.
"I want to thank my family for all their love and support," he said. "With this important decision made, I look forward to focusing completely on my senior year of high school football. I wanted to have the decision out of the way by then so I can just focus on our team and not have to worry about the distractions of recruiting."
Obviously the USC coaches were ecstatic when they got the news.
"Coach Carroll was very excited when I called him," Barkley said. "He was in his car when I called him. When I told him I was ready to commit, he started hollering and was pumped up. I went down to USC last Saturday and it just feels like home to me. There were some other great schools out there, but USC was just the best fit for me."
Barkley wasn't the only big get last week for the Trojans. USC also landed a very impressive commitment from Lake Balboa (Calif.) Birmingham four-star defensive end Malik Jackson.
"I committed the second Coach Carroll offered me on Sunday," Jackson said. "My mom didn't want me to say anything yet because it's such a big decision and she wanted to make sure I thought it out and wasn't rushing in to anything.
"The thing was, I had already decided ahead of time that if I got an offer, I was going to jump on it. I'm just so excited to be a Trojan right now and I know not many people in the Valley where I'm from have an opportunity to get an offer and play for a school like USC."
Jackson, who is 6 feet 5 and 225 pounds, is arguably the top defensive end in California. He originally committed to Fresno State, and for one reason or another didn't get the level of recognition as he should have in 2007.
"Jackson has huge upside and great physical tools," Rivals.com recruiting analyst Greg Biggins said. "He's incredibly quick off the ball, has long arms that he uses well to keep blockers off of him and can really get up the field. He also plays with an edge and a swagger to him. He is one of those players that you hate to play against but love to play with."
Etc.
• Washington continues to be one of the biggest recruiting surprises in the nation. The Huskies landed a big commitment earlier this week from four-star offensive lineman Allen Carroll of Oakland McClymonds. Carroll has the versatility to play any position along the offensive line. As a junior, Carroll earned first-team all-league and first-team all-city. Rivals.com ranks Carroll as the nation's No. 19 offensive guard prospect for the class of 2008.
• Washington State has picked up a lot of steam the past few weeks, especially in Los Angeles. The Cougars now have 14 commitments, including seven players from the Southland. Las Flores (Calif.) Tesoro three-star offensive lineman Tim Hodgdon is one of the best in the bunch for WSU.
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