It's a Professional Atmosphere - LA Times
...football fans can still get one last look at Heisman Trophy winners Reggie Bush and Matt Leinart and other NFL-bound Trojans today during USC's annual pro day.

Nineteen players, including Bush, Leinart, running back LenDale White, offensive tackle Winston Justice and safety Darnell Bing, will be evaluated by several hundred NFL scouts, coaches, player personnel executives and perhaps a few owners in preparation for the April 29 draft.

The Houston Texans, who own the first pick in the draft, requested 10 credentials to the workout...

...Adding another layer to what is certain to be an interesting scene: Carroll has designated Sunday as "junior day," when high school prospects and their families will tour the campus.

"As much as anything it makes it a fun day here; the more activity the more memorable it will be," Carroll said...

UA-USC moved to Sunday for ESPN - Northwest Arkansas Times
To accommodate ESPN, Arkansas and Southern California will open their 2006 football season in a rare Sunday night game.

Last scheduled for Saturday Sept. 2 after being moved from an original Sept. 9 date, the game now is scheduled for Sept. 3, the Sunday night before Labor Day, at Reynolds Razorback Stadium...

...Arkansas coach Houston Nutt said Friday that Arkansas has granted ESPN’s request to move the game...

Different team in Coliseum for scrimmage - LA Daily News
...The Trojans hold a situational scrimmage with a roster that barely resembles last year's team, or more importantly, what is expected to be next season's team after being hit hard with injuries.

"I don't think we've been this thin or had a spot where we didn't have anybody before," USC coach Pete Carroll said.

Specifically, USC will play without a tailback...

Booty's Surgery a Success; Sanchez Continues to Shine - LA Times
...Booty, who began spring practice as the front-runner to start the opener against Arkansas on Sept. 2, is expected to be ready in time for the start of training camp the first week of August. But redshirt freshman Mark Sanchez clearly is seizing the opportunity to make a run at becoming Matt Leinart's successor.

Based on his performance through seven workouts, Carroll said, Sanchez could start if the Trojans were playing a game next week...

[Celizic] Leinart skipping NFL to dance ... - MSNBC
After much soul-searching, 2004 Heisman Trophy winner Matt Leinart has decided to forego a career in the NFL and pursue his true passion, ballroom dancing. The shocking news was learned exclusively by MSNBC.com late Thursday and confirmed by the quarterback...

[Dr. Z] It's not personal ... it's personnel - CNNSI
During the league meetings in Orlando I sat down for a deep-cover type of conversation with my favorite NFL executive...

..."Is Leinart another Peyton Manning in 1998?" I asked my man. "The safest pick among the quarterbacks?"

"Except for one thing that makes me nervous about him," he said. "Manning had an intense work ethic on and off the field, and I don't sense it about Leinart...that could change by the time camp starts."...

...The second-best tackle projection is Winston Justice of USC. Potentially a top 10 selection?

"A risk," says my man...

Leinart should be Titans' pick - Jackson Sun
...at this point, the Titans need a sure thing - or the closest they can get. With that said, Leinart should be the team's quarterback of the future.

The Titans will send Reese, head coach Jeff Fisher and offensive coordinator Norm Chow to attend Leinart's Pro Day in Los Angeles on Sunday. That group will stay in L.A. on Monday for a private session.

If Leinart's workout goes as expected, pencil him in as the No. 3 pick this season...

100 Greatest Finishes, part 2 - College Football News
...No. 47 USC 45 ... UCLA 42, November 17, 1990...The firefight couldn't end without a final big drive...Morton made a leaping catch for a touchdown with :16 to play...

...No. 20 USC 28 ... Oklahoma 24, September 26, 1981...USC TE Fred Cornwell thought the pass was for him and tipped it away with nine seconds to play.

No. 4 USC 34 ... Notre Dame 31, October 15, 2005...Leinart chose to try to sneak it in for what would be USC’s final play no matter what the outcome...

Booty to have surgery - LA Daily News
..."There are no rules here," he said. "We'll just keep going. Unfortunately for John David, he wasn't able to establish himself (because of the injury). It's going to be very competitive in the fall.

"Mark's got to take it as he's the starting quarterback until he isn't...

...Booty's uncertainty also increases the role of third-string quarterback Mike McDonald for spring drills and possibly incoming freshman Garrett Green.

"This is a reality check and there's a sense of urgency about the situation," Carroll said...

Booty to Have Surgery Today - LA Times
...Carroll said the surgical solution would eliminate the unpredictable nature of Booty's condition. Booty suffered from back spasms as a high school sophomore at Evangel Christian Academy in Louisiana and also during his first training camp at USC in 2003.

"The idea is even if he recovers right now [without surgery] he'll still be on the verge and we won't be able to predict when it might go again," Carroll said...

...Carroll...said he would not announce a starting quarterback at the end of spring practice, which means the Trojans will go through the summer and the start of training camp without a designated leader.

"John David did everything to get ready for this camp and this thing just popped up so he hasn't lost his job or anything like that," Carroll said. "I can't look at it in that way at all...

...Carroll is hoping that Booty will be sound by July so he can work out before training camp begins the first week of August...

Trojans QB Booty to have back surgery - OC Register
USC quarterback John David Booty will have back surgery Friday, and Trojans coach Pete Carroll said today that he will not select a starting quarterback during spring practice.

Booty has been out since the first day of spring drills, and Carroll said team doctors determined that he needed surgery to repair a bulging disk in his back. Booty will be operated on by back specialist Dr. Robert Watkins and is expected to need 8-12 weeks to recover...

USC's White wonders 'What if?' - USA Today
...He doesn't need the burden of regret slowing him.

"What I went through at USC, the things I've learned, the things I've experienced, the championships I've won, those things you can't replace," says the 6-2, 235-pound back. "I can't compare it to anything else, but that experience was the best thing I've been through.

"If Reggie would have played by himself, look at his numbers. There are a lot of things you can say. I think being in that situation was best for me. I'm healthy. My body is not as banged up as it would have been if I was getting all those carries. Learning how to share, learning it's not all about you, it's about the team, really helped me."...

Bush, White stay ahead of fast company - USA Today
RUNNING BACKS
1. Reggie Bush, 5-11, 201, Southern California
Go ahead and compare him to some of the elusive greats of the past. That gives you the idea of how he can affect a game...

...2. LenDale White, 6-1, 238, Southern California
The thunder that shook opponents from the Southern California backfield with Reggie Bush as the lightning. A no-nonsense, north-south runner with toughness and speed. Not a complete back in terms of being a natural receiver or consistent pass blocker. In 39 games with the Trojans, started only 11...

100 Greatest Finishes, part 1 - College Football News
...No. 83 - USC 18 ... Ohio State 17, Rose Bowl January 1, 1975 ...USC head coach John McKay, who had been burned in the 1967 Rose Bowl against Purdue by going for two, eschewed the extra point to go for the win...

... No. 55 - USC 27 ... Notre Dame 25, November 25, 1978 ...McDonald connected with Calvin Sweeney for a 35-yard play down to the Notre Dame 25 with :12 left. Charles White, who finished with 205 yards, was able to get it to the 20 for a field goal attempt with six seconds to play...

Featured players - LA Times
...USC went Heisman-less for more than two decades, Carson Palmer finally following up Allen's triumph in 2002 to set off a three-in-four-years Trojan run...

USC also gave the city a long football coaching legacy that extended from Howard Jones' dominance in the early 20th century to John McKay's penchant for one-liners and late-game dramatics to John Robinson's power-ball approach to Pete Carroll's college-kid-forever enthusiasm that produced the school's unlikely turn-of-the-century renaissance...

USC may turn residential - Daily Trojan
...The shift toward becoming a more residential university will "strengthen and increase opportunities for peer-to-peer learning," Sample said. He expressed enthusiasm for modeling future housing after USC's current residential colleges, which all have their own resident faculty members.

"I've witnessed the dramatic increase in intellectual vitality when a faculty member is in charge of the programming for that residential college," he said...

Staying power - LA Times
...More than any other sport, Trojan football is bound up with the growth of L.A. as a city.

"USC was just a rinky-dink school in the 1920s and L.A. wasn't much of a city at the time," says football historian Michael Oriard of Oregon State University. "They grew together. They fed each other."

USC football became the darling of civic boosters. The Trojans were the only tenant of the Coliseum, built by the business elite as a monument to the city in 1923...

[Wooden] L.A. in Wooden's words - LA Times
...The athletes who I've had the most respect for over the years are all outstanding thinkers: Sandy Koufax, Lewis Alcindor, Bill Walton, John Stockton, David Robinson. In the USC football I've seen lately, I like the way Matt Leinart thinks...

...USC has had more than its share of great players and coaches over the years. I had tremendous respect for Rod Dedeaux, the legendary baseball coach, and I was very sad about his recent passing. We were friends.

And then there was John McKay. He had a great sense of humor. When I think about him, I think about the time I was in the airport and someone came up to me and said "You're John McKay."...

Gibbs talks about the old days - Washington Times
...Joe Gibbs loves to say the NFL changes 30 percent every year, but one thing that doesn't change is his love for the old days -- when he was a lowly college assistant in the 1960s...

...Gibbs, a teetotaler, also laughed about being made to baby-sit then 10-year-old Rich McKay when the other USC coaches would go out drinking.

"They'd give me five bucks and say, 'Take Richie and get him some pie,' " Gibbs said. "[Years later], I'd ask John how Richie was doing in college, and he'd say, 'He's doing fine. I think he's majoring in airlines. He just flies back and forth...

[Prisco] QB or not QB? Texans' Kubiak not tipping his hand -- much - CBS Sportsline
..."I've had people holler for Reggie Bush. I think the town is excited about the pick."

It seems everybody in Houston has an opinion on what the Texans should do with the first overall pick in the April NFL Draft, as if the Texans brass will heed any of that advice.

Many of the locals want the Texans to take Young...Others want Southern California running back Reggie Bush, who would join quarterback David Carr and receiver Andre Johnson to give the Texans their version of the Triplets. So who will it be?...

[Schefter] Walker no longer has Pack mentality - NFL News
...When the USC Trojans hold their Pro Day on April 2 in Los Angeles, expect a batch of Texans officials to be in attendance.

For starters, Texans owner Bob McNair will be there, as will new head coach Gary Kubiak and general manager Charley Casserly. And the Texans will do more than observe Bush. They will be getting to know him up close and personal.

The Texans are scheduled to have dinner with Bush the night before his workout...

Jags need to protect Leftwich - Florida Today
...Asked if he was planning to visit his alma mater to watch pro day at USC, where the likely No. 1 pick will be working out for the Houston Texans and other teams, Del Rio shook his head.

"No. I think I'll get to see Reggie Bush plenty this year," he smiled.

Jacksonville has the No. 28 pick in next month's draft, a recognition of last year's 12-4 finish...

Lessons showered on Sanchez at practice - OC Register
USC's education of a young quarterback continued Tuesday with an unusual lesson. Mark Sanchez got to learn what to do in a downpour.

"We talked about all of the stuff that you talk about," Coach Pete Carroll said.

"The footwork that you've got to have, the ballhandling stuff, the snap exchange with quarterback, the catching stuff, the way we want to throw the ball in those conditions, the style of routes that we throw in those kind of conditions."...

Meyer: 'Me-first attitude' must go - Atlanta Journal-Constitution
...Meyer's point is that Florida has the resources to be a Texas or a USC, teams that are consistently in the hunt for the national championship. Florida hasn't won an SEC championship since 2000, Steve Spurrier's next-to-last year as coach. The biggest hurdle Florida must overcome to be one of those elite programs is not physical — it's mental.

"If we want to be like Texas, like USC, like Ohio State, our guys have to be completely invested in that goal," Meyer said...

Booty's future still in question - Daily Trojan
..."(The doctors) know the results of the MRI," Carroll said. "There's definitely something there (on the MRI), that's why we're being very cautious and taking our time. … They need to see how it responds and see how soon he can come back and if he does or he doesn't (need surgery)."...

...Carroll said Booty needed to be evaluated for two weeks before a decision on surgery can be made. Two weeks means that the earliest a decision will be made is April 4. Surgery would keep Booty out until July...

[Greenspan] It will be hard to keep out Sanchez - Daily Trojan
...USC coach Pete Carroll was wowed by Sanchez's performance.

"We finished up with the third-down competition, and he hit eight out of 10 third down conversions," he said. "It was awesome, awesome in that situation."

Sanchez has been thrown into every test and come through in remarkable fashion...

..."It's a thing where you need reps and it's all that can get you better, especially in an offense like this. You just realize as you progress within the offense, you don't have to do it all. Letting the offense work makes you end up looking really good."

Factor in his growing leadership, and Sanchez can guide USC heading into Southeastern Conference territory on Sept. 2...

Maualuga Is Pushing Lua for Starting Linebacker Spot - LA Times
...it is clear that Maualuga has stepped up his game.

"Oscar knows his stuff and has done a fine job of leading us," Carroll said. "We're real excited about Rey's development. ... He needs to play a lot for this football team."

One of the biggest challenges facing Carroll and defensive coordinator Nick Holt will be finding playing time for all of the members of what is regarded as perhaps the nation's deepest linebacker corps...

...Chris Barrett, who switched from defensive end to tight end and then back to defensive end during his first three seasons, is making a bid to win a starting spot at defensive tackle...

Barr won't play football - LA Daily News
USC basketball player Jeremy Barr nearly joined the football team for spring practice, but said Tuesday he would concentrate on basketball...

..."I was thinking about going out, some people think I would be better off in the NFL than NBA," Barr said. "A lot of people have been telling me to do it. But I think I'm going to stick with basketball."...

...Offensive line coach Pat Ruel said Barr's size (6-feet-8, 270 pounds) would cause NFL teams to "drool over him."

"He would be a good prospect," Ruel said...

[Maisel] Hawkins applying his chase for excellence at CU - ESPN
...If there's a coach Hawkins emulates, it's Pete Carroll. Hawkins had met Carroll before they went on a Nike trip together last year. On that trip, Hawkins walked up to Carroll and said, "I know I don't know you that well, but here's what I think about Pete Carroll. I said, '(1) I think you really coach your guys, (2) you are getting the best players in the country, and (3) I think you get it.'"

Carroll invited Hawkins to speak at a clinic earlier this month and was so intrigued by him that he gave him a ride to the airport so he would have more time with him...

..."I felt very familiar with him without knowing him very well," Carroll said...

Roly-Polynesian out to impress NFL - Arizona Republic
...Lutui, a Tongan native, has just always been a "big boy," he'll tell you. He was 12 pounds at birth.

But his goal is to get down to 330 by Sunday when he works out in front of NFL scouts in Los Angeles with the rest of his University of Southern California draft-eligible teammates.

Lutui hopes to improve his stock for April's NFL draft...

Congratulations to Lawrence Jackson for being named to the 2006 Lott Trophy Watch List.
Named after Hall of Famer Ronnie Lott, The Lott Trophy is awarded to college football's Defensive IMPACT Player of the Year. Now in its third year, The Lott Trophy is the first college football award to equally recognize athletic performance and the personal character attributes of the player.

The award is given to a player who exhibits the same characteristics Lott embodied during his distinguished career: Integrity, Maturity, Performance, Academics, Community and Tenacity.

Randy beans ma of love child - NY Daily News
Randy Johnson has a secret love child - and the Yankees superstar is playing hardball with the girl's mom, it was revealed yesterday.

The flame-throwing lefty, who makes $16 million a year, is suing ex-girlfriend Laurel Roszell for less than $100,000 in child-care payments for their daughter Heather, now 16, according to court papers...

Hype continues to dog Lewis - Daily Trojan
...After three years plagued by ineffectiveness, academic ineligibility and struggles to stay in shape, redshirt junior Whitney Lewis is using spring football as his second chance...The former wideout is taking the majority of the snaps as running back to put his talent on display and be the Whitney everybody expected three years ago out of St. Bonaventure High School...

..."They basically say that it's never really over, your time can come any time where a guy needs to step in and do what they're supposed to. That kept me driven."

Now, Lewis must find that extra gear to make the most of his situation. The best receiving corps in the nation makes it almost impossible to get significant touches in the passing game, but with no healthy running backs available in the spring and a talented group of freshmen on the way that have to be gradually developed, Lewis can seal his fate once and for all...

Stats say Leinart is best bet for rookie QBs - Foxsports
...Leinart has prototypical size and decent athleticism for a quarterback. His arm strength has been questioned, but he spent the past year working on it and he showed that he can put zip on the ball when necessary many times over this past season.

It is a common misconception that Leinart would have been the number one overall pick if he had come out last year...

...During this past year Leinart was given a tremendous amount of freedom in the offense and proved that he can handle NFL quarterback type responsibility. He is nothing if not NFL ready, and if he goes to the Titans and reunites with former USC offensive coordinator Norm Chow he would barely have to learn a new offense...

Ahead of the Class - LA Times
Antwine Perez's travel itinerary did not allow for down time.

In January, he packed his bags and left his New Jersey home to play in a high school football all-star game in Texas. The next day, he caught a flight to Los Angeles and got ready to start classes at USC.

The prom could wait. So could the graduation ceremony.

"I wanted to get started," Perez said.

The 6-foot-2, 205-pound safety is the latest USC player to finish high school early so he could participate in spring practice before his freshman season...

Ricky Bell Memorial Concert
On April 14, 2006 a diverse mix of performers will come together at The Conga Room in Los Angeles to honor the memory of Ricky Bell, star USC tailback, who died from complications of dermatomyositis...

QBs in spotlight but defense needs help - OC Register
...with three consecutive recruiting classes regarded among the top two or three in the country, there is no lack of good-looking athletes.

An early name to remember is JC transfer Gerald Washington, a 6-foot-6, 255-pound tight end who looks even bigger than that. This guy is a 23-year-old, former Navy helicopter mechanic who played only a year of high school football before enrolling at Chaffey College.

So he is a little raw, but he already has an NFL body and he can run. If nothing else, USC coaches ought to experiment a bit with him. You never know.

Maybe he can play a little defense.

Booty confident in his position - OC Register
...Carroll said the Trojans hope to get Booty back on the field by the April 14 end of spring practice, but he said he didn't know if that was likely. Surgery has been discussed, though no treatment plans have been finalized.

"I know that I'll be back," Booty said. "I just don't know when."

Booty said he expects to meet with Dr. Robert Watkins, a back specialist, today...

Booty hopeful he will return - Daily Trojan
...Redshirt freshman Mark Sanchez continues to run the first-team offense in Booty's absence, which Booty believes will help USC while he rehabs his injury.

"Matt Leinart missed all of last spring (recovering from elbow surgery), and I got a lot of snaps, which made the team better," Booty said. "Mark getting reps only makes us better."

Sanchez looked comfortable with the first team, spreading the ball around and completing the majority of his passes...

Kiffin not interested in 'Canes - LA Daily News
USC offensive coordinator Lane Kiffin said he was contacted by the University of Miami for a similar position last month, but was not interested.

"I spoke with (Miami coach Larry Coker)," Kiffin said. "I can't imagine leaving or getting a better job than I have now."

Coker eventually hired former Miami assistant Rich Olson, who was the Minnesota Vikings quarterback coach last season. Kiffin said USC's success makes assistant coaches frequent targets for job openings...

'Disk Issue' Involved in Booty's Back Pain - LA Times
...Booty said he was feeling better physically and that he can walk without pain. But he remains unsure about when he might return...

...it really is a day-to-day thing," he said...

...Last year, with quarterback Matt Leinart recovering from elbow surgery, Booty took the majority of first-team repetitions during spring practice. This spring, Sanchez appears on track to enjoy a similar opportunity.

"I'm past the threshold of being nervous and being the young pup and now it's like, 'All right, I can start a fire here,' " Sanchez said...

NFL's only choice may come down to Coliseum - LA Daily News
...Then there is the matter of satisfying USC, which wants its rights as a tenant protected in a building that would be operated by an NFL team, and also will be due compensation for having to play elsewhere during the expected two-year renovation. For now, those negotiations are on hold.

"We're not running into any problems," Glat said. "We don't have a deal done (with USC) because our focus is on the Coliseum."...

...if the NFL has a decision to make between the Coliseum and Anaheim, it will have fundamentally different choices. One is a land development deal with a streamlined political process and carte blanche in building a stadium. The other has history, proximity, and, for now, political will behind it...

[Sherrington] Former SportsDay intern gets look-see with USC - Dallas Morning News
Ben Malcolmson is every parent's nightmare: a smart kid who wants to be a sportswriter.

An intern here at SportsDay last summer, he only made less than an 'A' a couple of times growing up. He was so smart, USC invited him to forgo his senior year at Highland Park for an academic program that would allow him to graduate with a bachelor's this spring, five days before he turns 21...

...Ben makes the football team ... his first since the fifth grade.

Not just any team, either. USC had been voted by some as maybe the greatest team ever...