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WHAT OTHERS SAY:
Justin Simon, FOXSports.com: "If given the weird-science project of building a prototypical quarterback, the specifications would be easy. He'd be tall and big. He'd have a cannon for an arm. He'd have the scrambling ability to elude pressure. He'd have a square jaw with chiseled good looks. He'd have natural leadership abilities and an ease with people. Basically, he'd be Carson Palmer."
J.A. Adande, Los Angeles Times: "Palmer just has 'it.'"
Shana Newell, El Paso Times: "Rarely has a Trojan quarterback demonstrated as much promise as Carson Palmer. He could become USC's biggest name yet."
USC offensive coordinator Norm Chow: "Carson has all the tools. He wants to get better. And he really wants to learn…He's as good as any of the quarterbacks I had at BYU. And he's better than most of them."
Former USC tailback Chad Morton: "He's very calm. He doesn't get too excited, too emotional. He's going to be a great leader for this team. Looking at him, you have all this confidence in him. He has a great attitude."
Former USC tailback Petros Papadakis: "Someday I can tell my kids that Carson Palmer handed me the ball once…He's got the gift. He knows he still has a lot to prove, but Carson has that innate ability to lead guys."
USC tailback Malaefou MacKenzie: "He has an aura. He's a playmaker on the field. He can make plays happen because of his physical attributes. He's a great person and a great leader."
USC wide receiver Kareem Kelly: "I knew he was good from watching him in high school. But I had no idea he was this good…He's the nucleus of the team. We need Carson. He's a playmaker…He's a great competitor, too…He just adds so much to the offense. It's a totally different team when he's in…On the first day of (2000) spring practice after his injury, you could tell right away how bad he wanted to be back because usually he would just be walking to practice, but now he was sprinting out there."
Former USC wide receiver Matt Nickels, Palmer's prep teammate: "In high school, the whole varsity would watch his freshman games and just stand around in awe. I knew this guy was going to be big-time some day."
Former USC safety David Gibson: "In 1998, he was a wide-eyed freshman who got by a lot of the time just because he has such a strong arm. But now he understands the offense and knows exactly where to go with the pass…He has, by far, the strongest arm I've played against. And it's just not how hard he throws, either. It's his accuracy and touch, too. He can put the ball anywhere. You can have a receiver covered, but he's going to find a way to get the ball to him."
Former USC wide receiver Windrell Hayes: "He's matured a lot. He has always had the arm. Ability was never a question with Carson. It was just picking up the offense. As far as recognizing coverages, that's where he's made progress."
Former USC All-American quarterback Paul McDonald, now USC's radio analyst: "He's so far ahead of the learning curve, it's scary…But everybody expects the guy to walk on water."
Former USC wide receiver Billy Miller: "I knew he was the guy the first time he came into the huddle. Just the fact that he has field presence. You feel a little something different. There's a confidence that comes over the team...He has a big responsibility. He's labeled now as the star of the team. That's a heavy burden to carry. He has to understand what he's about to go through. He'll be expected to carry the Trojans to the promised land every year. But he has to understand that when things go wrong, and things go wrong for everybody, to hang in there. He has to realize who his real friends are and don't feed too much into the hype. He'll be all-everything, people will expect him to complete 100 percent of his passes and lead the nation in passing and he has to show leadership at a young age."
Former USC quarterbacks coach Ken O'Brien: "He is such a talented young man, with the potential to be as great as anyone I've seen."
Former Oregon defensive lineman Saul Patu: "He has a confidence about himself. It even stirs up the crowd."
Former UCLA tailback DeShaun Foster, a high school rival: "In high school, you're not prepared for quarterbacks like him. Carson's arm was unbelievable and it was so accurate."
Former UCLA cornerback Julius Williams, another prep rival: "If a receiver has a little bit of room and the defensive back is not covering him completely, Carson is going to throw the ball right there and there's no way the defensive back is going to get the ball."
Santa Margarita High coach Jim Hartigan: "Carson has the size of Troy Aikman and the arm strength of John Elway. He's got the super quick release of Dan Marino and the ability to put zip on the ball or touch depending on what the situation calls for. He is extremely calm and poised and he always makes the right decisions. He thrives on pressure. The bigger the game, the better he performs."
Tustin High coach Myron Miller: "He stood back there and it was like he had a cannon for an arm and every ball was perfect."
His father, Bill: "The first comment anybody made to us, since he was a quarterback in the ninth grade, was how much poise he had. Don't misread him. He's very competitive. He doesn't like to lose. He's always been easygoing. What's going on inside is probably different…When he was young, if he threw an interception, he wouldn't get upset. He'd come right back and throw a touchdown."
