USC’s Aaron Corp becoming next likely QB to join long list of USC QB’s having career peak while in college football

Admin on 06 22, 2009

It looks as though sophomore quarterback Aaron Corp is the leader in the race to fill the vacancy under center left by first-round draft pick Mark Sanchez. Corp, in a battle with Mitch Mustain (Arkansas transfer) and Matt Barkley (freshman, enrolled in January following his early graduation from Mater Dei High School), has apparently taken the lead due to his early consistency and solid grasp of the Trojans’ offensive schemes.

Starting quarterback for the USC Trojans; something that may make you think, “guaranteed success.” However that success generally lasts only a couple years and suspiciously runs its course by the time that individual reaches the NFL.

I hate to break the news to Corp, but his case will be no different. It’s as simple as taking a look at history of USC quarterback’s who made it to the pro ranks.

Rob Johnson:

Johnson left USC owning nearly every passing record imaginable, thanks in large part to having teammates such as Keyshawn Johnson, Curtis Conway, and Johnnie Morton. In his final game at USC, Johnson led the Trojans to a 55-14 Cotton Bowl victory over Texas Tech, one of the final times he would have success throwing a football. Johnson would go on to play for six different teams during his tenure as an NFL quarterback amassing only 30 touchdowns during that span of nine years (1995-2004). Now when I hear the name Rob Johnson I’m more inclined to think of the Emmy-Award winning news anchor…I don’t know who should be more embarrassed by that, me or the former USC quarterback.

Rodney Peete:

What an athlete. What a collegiate sports star. What a waste of space in the NFL. Rodney’s senior season at USC saw Peete become the first Trojan to win the Johnny Unitas Award (nation’s best senior quarterback) and finish second to Barry Sanders in the Heisman voting. He even managed to be drafted by the Toronto Blue Jays in the MLB draft after a stellar career manning third base in the Trojan infield. Well apparently Peete chose the wrong sport to pursue. His NFL career can certainly only be defined as mediocre as he threw 76 TD to 92 INT and finished with a 73.3 QB rating. Although he did manage to stay in the league for 16 seasons, Peete was primarily a backup…maybe Rodney was doomed from the start given the fact that he was drafted by the Detroit Lions?

Pat Haden:

3 Rose Bowl appearances, 2 NCAA Championship appearances, inducted into the Rose Bowl Hall of Fame in 1995. Not a bad collegiate career, you may not have been insane to have assumed that this guy would go on to big things at the next level, however, you would have been wrong. Haden finished his NFL career with a QB rating of 69.6 and had only 52 TD to his 60 INT. Pat would go on to have a more successful broadcasting career than he ever had as a professional football player.

Todd Marinovich:

This one in particular is highly entertaining. Todd was the first freshman ever to start at quarterback in Orange County during high school where he began at Mater Dei High School in Santa Ana. Following a high school career that saw Marinovich accumulate awards such as Parade All-American, National High School Coaches Association’s Offensive Player of the Year, the Dial Award, and the Touchdown Club’s national high school player of the year, the young quarterback received an enormous amount of media attention regarding where he would attend college. A California magazine even featured Todd on the cover beside a headline that read, “ROBO QB: THE MAKING OF A PERFECT ATHLETE.” Sports Illustrated also featured Marinovich, but with the headline “Bred To Be A Superstar.” The only thing this kid was bred to be was a disappointment. After a successful college career, Todd would go on to struggle with drugs and expectations. The kid who once threw ten touchdown passes in one game would only complete eight touchdowns in his entire NFL career, a staggering statistic. Well, staggering or embarrassing…one of the two.

Others worthy of consideration: Matt Leinart, Bill Nelson, Vince Evans, Paul McDonald.

Sure there are some who have seen success at the NFL level in recent times (Carson Palmer/Matt Cassel), but even their success is limited. The fact of the matter is the only kind of kid who seems to go to USC to be the starting quarterback is the same kid who seeks all the attention he can possibly get, which makes USC the perfect school. Leinart is a perfect example, the guy simply thrived on the celebrity treatment he received at USC, however once it came time to actually put work in at the next level he fell behind dramatically.

I don’t know if it’s the mental makeup of someone who considers playing QB at USC, the environment in California, or the coaching staff in general, but this University needs to start receiving some attention for its failed prospects rather than praise for its endless five star recruit signings. Even Reggie Bush’s career has been anything but parallel to the hype that accompanied him on draft day, and he was labeled as a near “sure-thing.” So listen up Mark Sanchez and any other future USC star quarterback: be ready to actually put some work in at the next level or be prepared to be mentioned in the same breath as the guys listed above that you’ve never heard of.