Pete Carroll Does it Again; QB Jesse Scroggins Commits to USC
When Lakewood High School standout quarterback Jesse Scroggins reported that he had his commitment decision down to USC, Florida, and Tennessee, I was sure we’d be seeing the Southern California native heading to the SEC.
After all, last I checked, the future of the quarterback position at USC has already been decided.
Ever since his early commitment on January 23rd of 2008, Matt Barkley has been penciled in as the next big thing at USC. Receiving the accolades of scouts and fans around the country and most importantly the USC coaching staff, Barkley is projected to start the 2009 season behind Aaron Corp on the depth chart and push for the starting job as soon as 2010.
But somehow Pete Carroll continues to recruit blue-chip players at positions with seemingly no openings. A quick look at the running back situation leaves you scratching your head and wondering how so many guys that would be marquis players on most teams accept limited roles at USC.
Scroggins received a 4-star rating from both rivals.com and scout.com, and is rated as the 3rd best pro-style quarterback in the 2010 class by Rivals. Gifted with an exceptional arm and excellent poise in the pocket, scouts are clamoring over his potential, and he should be a good fit in USC’s pro-style offense.
Obviously not afraid of competition, Scroggins seems content to battle it out with the likes of Aaron Corp and Matt Barkley, and whoever else Coach Carroll eventually adds, over the course of most of his college career. If Barkley doesn’t redshirt and eventually leaves early, the spot would open up for Scroggins sooner than later; but that’s a lot of guesswork. The path to a starting job seemed a lot clearer at his other two potential choices.
Tennessee will also run a pro-style offense under former USC and Oakland Raiders coach Lane Kiffin. Kiffin had an outstanding recruiting class in 2009 and has another very strong one in the works in 2010, with one glaring exception; not a single quarterback. By the time Scroggins arrived on campus he would have already been the QB of the future for the Vols. From the looks of the recruiting classes Kiffin has put together, that probably wouldn’t be a bad spot to be in a couple of years from now.
Florida’s QB situation would have given Jesse Scroggins the competition at the position he is getting at USC without the seemingly-etched-in-stone future starter already decided. After Tim Tebow is done in 2009, John Brantley (who will be a junior) will take over in 2010, the year that Scroggins would presumably redshirt.
As a red-shirt freshman in 2011, Scroggins would likely find himself in a battle for the backup spot with dual-threat 2009 class QB Jordan Reed and the less heralded 3-star 2010 class QB Trey Burton. This assuming Brantley stays for his senior year; if he didn’t, this battle would be for the starting job.
But assuming Brantley did stay for his senior year, it would set the stage for Scroggins to compete very realistically for the starting job (or at least a healthy dose of meaningful playing time) as soon as his sophomore season. Unlike Tennessee where success isn’t guaranteed, with Urban Meyer planted firmly in the coach’s seat and a never-ending slew of talent pouring in, Florida’s spot as a perennial powerhouse looks safe for years to come.
Jesse Scroggin’s decision to commit to USC made me realize just how important USC and Pete Carroll’s reputation of being a pro factory is to pulling in recruits.
Quick, name a USC quarterback in the NFL!
That wasn’t so hard, was it? Matt Cassell certainly comes to mind in a hurry with the huge contract he just signed, and he never even started a game at USC. Carson Palmer and Matt Leinart also come to mind in a hurry, even if Leinart has been a disappointment in the NFL to date. Don’t forget this year’s 5th overall pick and the future of the New York Jets, Mark Sanchez. I could bring up John David Booty too, but I think you see my point.
Now QUICK! Name a Florida quarterback in the NFL!
Rex Grossman, right? Currently buried deep on the Texans’ depth chart. Taking a quick look down the list of Florida Gators quarterback’s over the last decade or so…
Danny Wuerffel
Doug Johnson
Jesse Palmer
Brock Berlin
Ingle Martin
Chris Leak
Even Tim Tebow, who will go down as one of the greatest college football quarterbacks in history, isn’t projected by many to be an NFL quarterback.
The NFL Network recently named USC the #1 Pro Factory of all time. While “The U” (Miami) might plead their case for the top spot, the Trojans reputation of turning college kids into professional athletes is irrefutable.
I respect Scroggins for making the decision that he felt would help mold him into the best pro-style quarterback that he can be, instead of making a decision that would have locked him up more playing time.
The competition should be very helpful with Matt Barkley’s development, too. Scroggin’s presence will leave him with no room to get lazy or cut corners at practice; this won’t be “his team” by default anymore.
Congratulations to Jesse Scroggins for committing to his top choice, and congratulations to Pete Carroll for adding another notch to his belt in his never ending quest to scoop up all of the top talent the nation has to offer.
(For more on Scroggins, check out his ESPNU recruiting page here)
Great article on Scroggins. and the USC program. Coach Carroll is amazing. Very surprised though that Scroggins chose SC with the opportunity he has at the other programs mentioned. SC is a quarterback machine though. But I guess when you are a So Cal guy you know there is no better place to play other then USC. Fight On!
Most Memorable Games Under Urban Meyer: Number 10 Florida Georgia 2009 The Revenge Chapter 2 http://bit.ly/4oUPpm
I have tried to leave a response on this blog but each time I submit it times out the screen or gives an error. Can the webmaster possibly check into the reason there is a problem?