QB Matt Barkley Staying With USC

USC - USC quarterback Matt Barkley announced today that he will not leave school early to enter National Football League draft. "I am staying because I want to finish what I started," Barkley said amid cheers at a news conference at USC's Heritage Hall.

"I am prepared to play quarterback in the NFL. "It is my dream to play quarterback in the NFL and I intend to make that dream a reality.

"But I also know that I came to the University of Southern California to compete and have a rare journey as a USC football player," Barkley said.

Barkley led USC to a top-five ranking by throwing for 3,528 yards and 39 touchdowns this season.

USC was ineligible to play in a post-season bowl game this year because of sanctions placed on the Trojan program by the NCAA.

USC finished the season with a 10-2 record.

"Our USC football team has been through some tough times and we persevered," he said. "But the 2012 team has some serious unfinished business to attend to and I intend to play a part in it."

Barkley was projected to be a top-10 pick in next spring's NFL draft, which means he would have been in line for a contract worth millions of dollars.

Barkley, a record-setting quarterback at Orange County's Mater Dei High School, was one of the most sought-after players in the country before committing to play at USC.

He immediately became a starter at USC, beating out other highly regarded and more experienced candidates.