Moore courting basketball plans - LA Daily News
USC sophomore Kyle Moore hopes to start at defensive end next season, but his other goal might be more ambitious because he also wants to play basketball for the Trojans.

Moore, who is 6-feet-7 and 255 pounds, said he spoke to basketball assistant coach Phil Johnson on Friday about joining the team following football season.

"I love playing basketball," Moore said. "That's all I do in the offseason even though we're not supposed to."...

Sanchez Is Already Starting to Get Picture - LA Times
Mark Sanchez senses the opportunity.

The redshirt freshman said he strode through the gate at Howard Jones Field on Friday with a sense that USC teammates were beginning to look to him as their potential starting quarterback...

...Junior quarterback Michael McDonald, a former walk-on, was prepared to hang up his cleats before last fall and enjoy the life of a college student.

But when Rocky Hinds transferred to Nevada Las Vegas after spring practice, coaches went to McDonald and offered him a scholarship if he were to return.

Now, McDonald is taking snaps as the No. 2 quarterback...

What's happening in spring ball? - College Football News
...How's USC doing replacing Matt Leinart, Reggie Bush and LenDale White?
So-so. John David Booty appeared to be all but cemented as the starting quarterback because of his knowledge of the offense, but an injured back will thrust Mark Sanchez into the spotlight. Head coach Pete Carroll wasn't planning on naming his number one man until this summer, but not things are now way up in the air if Booty's back spasms ris something more serious. Likely top new running back Hershel Dennis has been gimpy at best with a hamstring problem, while star-in-waiting Chauncey Washington might finally be academically eligible if he has a great spring in the classroom...

[Miller] Spring look around the Pac-10 - ESPN
...USC must replace not just three offensive linemen but three linemen expected to be NFL draft picks. Don't expect a dramatic, calamitous tumble into mediocrity up front, however. You might have heard this before: There's talent at USC...

...Talented but mercurial junior receiver Whitney Lewis will work at tailback, as will talented but oft-injured fullback Brandon Hancock. With Hancock splitting time, linebacker Ryan Powdrell will work at fullback...

...The USC secondary is in flux, needing to replace three starters...

Booty injures back, causing USC concern - OC Register
...Safety Kevin Ellison, who tore ligaments in his left knee last season against Arizona State, surprised coaches with how much he was able to do in practice. "He's fighting for reps," Carroll said. "He's way ahead of schedule."...

Carroll also said that cornerback Terrell Thomas, who tore ligaments in his left knee against Arkansas, has recovered faster and is practicing more than expected...

Booty out indefinitely - Daily Trojan
...The hurt at running back caused by the loss of Reggie Bush is obvious, but the hole left in special teams returns is not so obvious...

...Wide receiver Steve Smith, cornerback Cary Harris, and defensive backs Brandon and Ryan Ting have shared the kick-returning duties.

Smith returned kicks in high school and said he feels comfortable at that position...

[Waldner] USC's quarterback duel unlikely to be part of show - Daily Breeze
...This is a coach who can see the trees, the forest and smell the flowers at the same time. He understands the plus points of family, girlfriends, sundry other friends, boosters and, shudder, reporters to attending practice.

It's good for the family unit. And think about the benefit during recruiting when the girlfriend sees she is welcome.

Is it extra pressure to have "outsiders" see a player get chewed out for blowing an assignment in practice?

Actually, it's just part of the preparation for the pressure of playing in games...

Keyshawn - finer in Carolina - NY Daily News
Keyshawn Johnson will not be returning to New York to play for the Giants. Instead, he took a better offer yesterday from the Carolina Panthers, who become his third team since the Jets traded him six years ago...

...Johnson rejected the Giants' offer, flew to St. Louis on business - he did not visit the Rams - and then went to Charlotte...

Taft's Holland intent on making the grade - LA Daily News
...Academics, not athletics, will be Holland's main focus this semester - even if it costs him in defending his state sprint titles.

Holland, who signed a letter of intent to play football at USC, is running for Taft, but doesn't want to find himself sitting in the Coliseum stands next year...

Gable top local in all-star game - LA Daily News
Sylmar High football standout C.J. Gable heads the list of area players selected to participate in the 55th annual Shrine Classic all-star football game to be played June 24 at Citrus College in Glendora.

Gable, who rushed for more than 2,000 yards two seasons in a row, is also a talented defensive back who earned Daily News Defensive Player of the Year honors this season after totaling 56 tackles and seven interceptions. He has signed with USC...

Booty's back spasms may be cause for new concerns - LA Daily News
...This is the third setback for Booty since he enrolled at USC. He broke his left wrist during the UCLA game his freshman year, then sat out his sophomore season after suffering nerve damage in his elbow during training camp.

Carroll said Booty experienced back problems in high school, but no one was ready Thursday night to say surgery was likely.

"If it hasn't responded, we'll see," Carroll said.

Without Booty, former walk-on Mike MacDonald is the backup to Sanchez. Notre Dame High of Sherman Oaks quarterback Garrett Green, who attended Thursday's practice, will arrive in the fall...

Back Problem Sidelines Booty Indefinitely - LA Times
...Booty's absence turned the focus to redshirt freshman Mark Sanchez, who took the majority of the first-team repetitions and clearly relishes the chance to compete for the starting job.

Sanchez said he was "just trying to champion the cause, champion the opportunity and show the guys that I can do it and let them know that I'm a guy that can play."

Quarterbacks coach Steve Sarkisian said Sanchez was performing well...

[Maisel] USC quarterback may miss rest of spring - ESPN
...Before practice Thursday, head coach Pete Carroll said Booty had suffered back spasms and that he was in a "wait and see" mode. Booty underwent an MRI Wednesday, and USC offensive coordinator Lane Kiffin said there is concern that Booty may have injured a disk.

"He won't even be out there today," Kiffin said before practice Thursday. "He's getting another MRI. His back just locked up Tuesday. He's barely able to walk around."

Redshirt freshman Mark Sanchez, expected to challenge Booty for the starting job, will take over the first-team offense...

...university athletic medical personnel didn't know how long Booty would be out. Kiffin, however, said he does not expect Booty back this spring. If surgery is needed, the coach said, doctors expect Booty would be back by July...

So far, so good for Palmer - Cincinatti Enquirer
...Palmer made his first public comments since Jan. 9. He had surgery Jan. 10 to replace torn knee ligaments, the anterior cruciate and medial collateral.

He recalled the injury and the eerie sensation of being driven away from Paul Brown Stadium with the game still going on. He also displayed the mature perspective that has endeared him to Bengals fans, and he vowed to be back as soon as he can - preferably, he said, in time for the regular-season opener...

Panthers, Keyshawn will talk - Charlotte Observer
...The Panthers usually avoid mere flirtations in free agency and appear ready to seriously bid for a player they believe could take them to the next level after losing to Seattle in the NFC Championship this past season.

Johnson's price tag is believed to be a two- or three-year deal worth about $4 million a season -- and the Panthers have enough salary cap room to make it happen ($5.6 million). Johnson left a visit with the New York Giants earlier this week after not accepting an offer of $3 million a season. He also might visit Seattle...

[Greenspan] Don't count Trojan football out just yet - Daily Trojan
...If they get effective play in the secondary early on, an offensive line that keeps the quarterback's jersey clean and can find a backfield that doesn't field just fullbacks, the 2006 installment of Trojan football could again be playing for a national title...

Dean of Admission Deans to Leave UNC for USC - The Chronicle of Higher Education

Jerome A. Lucido, one of the nation’s leading admissions minds, is headed west. Mr. Lucido, vice provost for enrollment management and director of undergraduate admissions at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, has accepted a new post at the University of Southern California...

Leinart's status continues to grow - OC Register
...the results are in for USC's Matt Leinart.

His new forecast calls for considerably more money and a lot more options.

"Ultimately, we now think he'll get a $30 million guaranteed contract," said Leigh Steinberg, Leinart's Newport Beach-based agent. "That won't be bad for a young boy from Costa Mesa."...

...The Jets remain the team most likely in the market. Chad Pennington's arm strength, after serious surgery, remains a major question mark, and although they traded a low draft choice for the Redskins' Patrick Ramsey last week, he doesn't project as a franchise quarterback.

Leinart does. Especially in a city where the Jets have to compete with the Giants and Eli Manning for space on the tabloids' back pages...

Poster doesn't go all the way - LA Daily News
USC spring practice is more than the ongoing quarterback controversy. There could be an interesting and unexpected addition to the football team, perhaps as soon as today's practice. More on that later...

Munson makes push to break camp as Astros No. 2 catcher - Houston Chronicle
If anything, the competition for the backup catcher spot has become more muddled in recent days because of the performance of non-roster invitee Eric Munson, hitting .351 with three homers and nine RBIs this spring.

Munson, 4-for-5 with a homer in Tuesday's loss to Detroit, is a strong candidate to open the season on the major-league roster...