There was a time there, around mid-May, when it looked as though neither expected competitor, junior
John David Booty (6-3, 195) and redshirt freshman Mark Sanchez (6-4, 215), would even be around in the fall.
Each had their own issues this spring, with Booty practicing just once before suffering severe back spasms that required surgery and Sanchez being suspended from the team on April 27 after sexual assault charges were filed against him.
While Booty was recovering from surgery quicker than expected and was already throwing in early June, this wasn't the first instance of back trouble. Booty experienced spasms during his redshirt freshman campaign of 2004. Carroll was aware of a pre-existing back condition before Booty even arrived at USC.
As for Sanchez, the 2004 consensus high school player of the year at Mission Viejo, Calif., the charges were dropped by Los Angeles County prosecutors on June 2 because of a lack of evidence, and he was reinstated to the team. Carroll said that Sanchez, 19, could face team-related discipline for underage drinking and using a fake ID on the night he was arrested.
USC offensive coordinator Lane Kiffin watched Sanchez throw three days after the charges were dropped and came away impressed.
"First off, we're excited to have Mark back and that behind us," Kiffin said. "That experience can help him moving forward. On the field, he looked great; he was really throwing the ball well."
"David has just now started throwing, but he'll be 100 percent come August and the first practice. It's a wide-open competition, the only reason John David is first on the depth chart is because they make us fill one out. That means nothing."
Heading into spring practice, before the back issues, Carroll did say Booty was the front-runner.
"John David Booty is in the lead position going into the spring," he said. "He had a great showing last spring when Matt Leinart was out with his elbow injury, and we expect he'll do so again this spring. But Mark Sanchez will contest him for the job. The competition is on."
It wasn't a surprise that Booty was No. 1 entering the spring, considering Sanchez was a redshirt last season while Booty completed 27-of-42 passes (64.3 percent) for 327 yards and three touchdowns and just two interceptions. Booty saw action as Leinart's backup in 10 of the team's 13 games.
This is Booty's fourth year in the program -- he graduated from high school a year early and enrolled at USC in 2003. The younger brother of Josh Booty, who played for the Florida Marlins and the Cleveland Browns, John David was actually expected to compete against Leinart back in 2003, in what should've been his senior year in high school.
But Leinart became a superstar and Booty's been patiently waiting to embark upon what many thought would be a prolific collegiate career. Before Booty suffered the back spasms, Kiffin said he looked "awesome, a bona fide, big-time quarterback," this spring.
While no one is sure who'll be under center come the season-opener at Arkansas on Sept. 2, Kiffin is sure of one thing.
"We want a starter by the opener, we want one guy going forward with the offense," he said. "We have no intention, none, of alternating the two of them every other drive or quarter or any of that. To us, that's not a possibility."
The scouting report on each signal caller has Booty the better decision-maker, which is expected considering his four years in the system. And while both have NFL size, Sanchez is the prototype in terms of height, weight, strength, throwing arm -- you name it. It's almost like he was born to play quarterback. Booty is more mobile, and a better runner, but that's never really been as aspect of the Trojans' offense.
The lone knock from the coaching staff this spring against Sanchez -- who has been universally praised for his work ethic since arriving on campus -- was being a little slow on reads and making the commitment to pass a little quicker.
Carroll said after spring practice that Booty, if healthy, would enter the fall taking the first snaps. But, as Kiffin said, nothing is set in stone.
"The thing is one guy is first string and the other guy is second string. In essence we are in the same position coming out of spring time," Carroll said. "It is the only thing that makes sense to me. It doesn't diminish any of the competitiveness for the fall. This is a different situation than when we named Matt two years ago."
"We need to make sure John David makes it back. If he makes it back and he comes out flying, then it is going to be hard for Mark to knock him out, just because of the background and the information. I wouldn't count Mark out. He has done too well and he has exceeded every threshold. He will be so much more confident when he comes back in to fall camp after putting spring in his back pocket. It is a big jump I think. Both guys can play. We are in a very lucky situation."
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