Matt Barkley Returning to USC

USC Quarterback Will Wait on NFL, Returns to School

After a suspenseful day for USC fans, it has finally become official. Matt Barkley will return to USC for his final year. Barkley was seen as a sure top 10 pick if he were to enter the 2012 NFL Draft. Before the announcement Barkley and Robert Griffin III were battling it out for crown of second best quarterback behind Stanford’s Andrew Luck. With Barkley returning, it instantly makes him the front runner to be the first quarterback selected in 2013 and possibly the number 1 pick overall.

This also puts a wrinkle in the plans for teams that will be looking to select a quarterback early in the 2012 NFL Draft. This basically leaves Luck (who will be going number 1) and Griffin (who has yet to declare for the 2012 draft), teams very well could be scrambling to trade up with a team like Minnesota and or St. Louis to get their hands on the 2nd best quarterback in the draft. This is why everyone loves the NFL draft so much, nobody can predict what will happen next.

Full list of 2012 NFL Draft declared underclassmen here >