USC: Matt Barkley Won’t Throw at the Combine. Matt Barkley: Uh, I Never Said That

This was the last snap Matt Barkley took in a USC uniform – Anthony Barr of rival UCLA nearly decapitated him – and nobody’s seen the QB throw a pass since. That was in November.

Obviously, this will impact Matt Barkley’s draft stock. How was his shoulder healing? He had a rough season to begin with, and the injury only adds to the doubts of anyone trying to handicap the draft. Then, this happened.

Who ever said that? I didn’t… “@usc_athletics: QB @mattbarkley will not throw at the NFL Combine.”
— Matthew Barkley (@MattBarkley) February 1, 2013

So the USC athletic department tweeted about Barkley not throwing at the Combine. Then, Barkley said that’s false (though he didn’t say he would throw at the Combine; maybe he’s hopeful he can?). If you look at the USC athletic department feed, it seems they got the report … from ESPN.

Why rely on ESPN when you could simply go to Barkley or Lane Kiffin and ask them?

[EARLIER: Is there a Colin Kaepernick or Russell Wilson in the 2013 Draft?]

Remember 13 months ago when Barkley decided to return to USC for his senior year, and everyone made the Trojans No. 1 and handed Barkley the Heisman? Life, man.

Related: 2013 NFL Mock Draft.

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11 Responses to “USC: Matt Barkley Won’t Throw at the Combine. Matt Barkley: Uh, I Never Said That”

sctrojans Says:
February 2nd, 2013 at 12:54 PM

He should definitely throw if healthy. Excellent arm talent

VladimirCrouton Says:
February 2nd, 2013 at 12:58 PM

Isn’t he undersized?

sctrojans Says:
February 2nd, 2013 at 1:00 PM

Isn’t he undersized?

About 6’2″. Short considering the lack of mobility

Jim Harbaugh Scramble Says:
February 2nd, 2013 at 1:03 PM

He should definitely throw if healthy. Excellent arm talent

I think with his arm, he has a shot in the NFL. Then again, I thought Jimmy Clausen had a shot.

Dawgfather Says:
February 2nd, 2013 at 1:11 PM

The argument for not returning for your senior year when your draft stick I’d high starts and ends with Matt Barkley.

/shame on him for choosing to spend more time with Kiffin. He deserved this.

Dawgfather Says:
February 2nd, 2013 at 1:12 PM

*stock is

sctrojans Says:
February 2nd, 2013 at 1:20 PM

The argument for not returning for your senior year when your draft stick I’d high starts and ends with Matt Barkley.

Way too early to make that determination IMO. Getting drafted higher doesn’t necessitate a better pro career

VladimirCrouton Says:
February 2nd, 2013 at 1:28 PM

The argument for not returning for your senior year when your draft stick I’d high starts and ends with Matt Barkley.

Matt Leinart.

kazzythekid Says:
February 2nd, 2013 at 1:50 PM

The argument for not returning for your senior year when your draft stick I’d high starts and ends with Matt Barkley.

Luck came back for his 4th year, after he could have gone #1 in 2011. I wonder if DEN would have taken Cam, or let him fall to BUF at 3?

jayhawk88 Says:
February 2nd, 2013 at 1:55 PM

I think Barkley will be a good pro. Let’s face it: That USC team was just not very good, and Lane Kiffin is definitely terrible. Every time I watched USC this year Barkley was running for his life on almost every snap, but he was still able to make plays.

If he gets drafted by like the Raiders or Browns, it’s probably not going to go well for him, but it wouldn’t shock me to see a team like Pittsburgh or New England steal him at the end of the first round (assuming he does fall).

A.P. Says:
February 2nd, 2013 at 2:21 PM