USC quarterback Matt Barkley is staying in college for his senior season.
Barkley said today that he has decided not to enter the 2012 NFL draft and will stay at USC, even though he thinks he is “fully prepared and ready” to play in the NFL.
“I know in my heart I have not yet finished my journey as a Trojan football player,” Barkley said. “The 2012 team has some serious unfinished business to attend to and I intend to play a part in it.”
That’s bad news for teams near the top of the draft order that were hoping to select a franchise quarterback, and for teams like the Rams, who could stock up on talent by trading down with a team desperate to add a franchise quarterback.
The player who figures to benefit the most from Barkley’s return is Baylor’s Robert Griffin III, who is expected to enter the draft and now appears to be the clear-cut No. 2 quarterback behind Stanford’s Andrew Luck.
And Barkley now becomes the early favorite as the No. 1 overall pick in 2013.