Junior QB Matt Barkley announced that he will return to USC for his senior season.
Flanked by his family, head coach Lane Kiffin and athletic director Pat Haden, Barkley sent Heritage Hall into an uproar by declaring that he is "prepared to play quarterback in the NFL," but "the 2012 team has some serious unfinished business to attend to and I intend to play a part in it."
While Barkley was overwhelmed by the Trojan Family's support throughout the process and this afternoon at the press conference, he showed his own flare for the dramatic by letting his head coach know via a Christmas ornament that read, "One more year." "We knew we couldn't just tell him straight up," Barkley said. "We had to play with him a little bit."
Barkley covered all his bases before making this decision, and while it was not an easy one, his love of USC won out. "Because of how special this place is to me, it grabbed me."
More reaction...
Lane Kiffin: "I watched him after that [Oregon] game...and I really just kind of thought that he doesn't want to leave this. His value system is different than most kids his age."
Barkley's father Les: "Our job was to bring him the facts and arm him with all the information that he needed to make this decision. He handled it great. We're really joyful for the final outcome."
Barkley's mother Beverly: "I was really surprised. I can't tell you how 50-50 it was."
(Photo by Dan Avila)
In case you missed it, here's the complete press conference from Heritage Hall today:
Tweet
Flanked by his family, head coach Lane Kiffin and athletic director Pat Haden, Barkley sent Heritage Hall into an uproar by declaring that he is "prepared to play quarterback in the NFL," but "the 2012 team has some serious unfinished business to attend to and I intend to play a part in it."While Barkley was overwhelmed by the Trojan Family's support throughout the process and this afternoon at the press conference, he showed his own flare for the dramatic by letting his head coach know via a Christmas ornament that read, "One more year." "We knew we couldn't just tell him straight up," Barkley said. "We had to play with him a little bit."
Barkley covered all his bases before making this decision, and while it was not an easy one, his love of USC won out. "Because of how special this place is to me, it grabbed me."
More reaction...
Lane Kiffin: "I watched him after that [Oregon] game...and I really just kind of thought that he doesn't want to leave this. His value system is different than most kids his age."
Barkley's father Les: "Our job was to bring him the facts and arm him with all the information that he needed to make this decision. He handled it great. We're really joyful for the final outcome."
Barkley's mother Beverly: "I was really surprised. I can't tell you how 50-50 it was."
(Photo by Dan Avila)
In case you missed it, here's the complete press conference from Heritage Hall today:
Tweet
Thank you Santa. Thank you Matt. Merry Christmas SC!
I can't wait for individual game tickets to go on sale at the home and away games. Finally something to play for besides pride, and a great returning starter squad to help do the job. Fight On!