Did Matt Barkley Make the Right Decision?

            To answer the question, we will never know if he would be better off declaring for the 2012 NFL draft and getting selected in the top ten picks as opposed to staying at the University of Southern California for his senior season. However, he can make his choice to stay in school the right one by completing the "serious unfinished business" that he mentioned in his press conference. He's lived in California his entire life and knows the wealth of talent that the Trojans will have next season, so he has no reason to declare for the pros unless he is desperate for a few million dollars in the next six months.  Barkley would be the second best quarterback prospect in the upcoming NFL draft behind Stanford's Andrew Luck. ESPN draft expert Mel Kiper predicted Barkley getting selected in the eighth overall pick, where the USC quarterback would be guaranteed millions of dollars. Barring a potential injury next season, Matt Barkley should be the number one quarterback in the draft and a probably top five pick.

Courtesy of http://dcprosportsreport.com/2011/12/20/all-i-want-for-christmas-in-dc-sports-is/matt-barkley-p2/

             Right now, Barkley has his sights set on the Heisman trophy and a national championship in the first few weeks of 2013. And frankly, there's no reason why he accomplish both of those goals. It is way too early to speculate about who will win the Heisman trophy next season since players still have time to declare for the 2012 NFL draft and those that stay in college have an entire off-season to improve, but it is fun nonetheless.  Barkley is probably the current front-runner for the Heisman after his junior season with over 3,500 yards, 39 touchdowns, and only 7 interceptions. Other candidates include Michigan quarterback Denard Robinson, Wisconsin running back Montee Ball (if he were to forgo the 2012 NFL draft), LSU cornerback Tyrann Mathieu, Kansas State quarterback Collin Klein, and South Carolina running back Marcus Lattimore. In terms of winning the BCS National Championship, the Trojans' two-year ban from bowl games is lifted after this season and USC is currently ranked 9th in the USA Today poll, with the possibility of finishing even higher after multiple of the top eight teams are guaranteed to lose again this season. USC is bringing back lots of talent next year and reloading with the 18th best recruiting class according to ESPN and four of the ESPN Top 150 recruits. The Trojans' losses on offense include starting left tackle Matt Kalil (declared for the NFL draft) and senior backup running back Marc Tyler. The rest of the key players around Barkley are returning and looking to make the leap to the top of the polls.
            The biggest concern with Matt Barkley returning to the University of Southern California is the potential for injury. For Barkley's sake, I hope he talked to St. Louis Rams quarterback Sam Bradford before he made his decision to stay at USC. In his sophomore season at Oklahoma in 2008, Bradford won the Heisman and lost in the championship game to Tim Tebow's Florida Gators. Despite his potential to be a top five draft pick and the best quarterback prospect in the draft, he chose to forgo the 2009 NFL draft. In his junior season, Bradford injured his shoulder in the first game of the season, was forced to sit out for three weeks, before he re-injured his shoulder, which ended his season. He was selected number one overall in 2010 but the college season that he returned for was nothing like he dreamed it would be and he has faced shoulder injuries in the NFL after his two injuries in college.
            No one can know what is best for Matt Barkely and we will most likely never find out which choice would have been better for him. Years from now, when we look back on this day, if he stays healthy, wins the Heisman and the BCS National Championship at USC next season then he made the "right choice." But if he has a Bradford-like season and suffers a season-ending injury, then he made the "wrong decision." The chances are in his favor that he will still be a top draft pick in next year's NFL draft and will make millions of dollars from his contract, so I cannot blame him for taking advantage of his senior season with a star-studded Trojans team.