'09 CA QB Matt Barkley (USC LOI)

[Svoboda]

Pro-style quarterback
Santa Ana (CA) Mater Dei

Ht: 6-foot-2
Wt: 222 lbs.

Star Ratings
Rivals.com: *****
Scout.com: *****

Rankings & Accolades
Rivals 100 #1/ #1 Pro-Style QB
Scout 100 #1/ #1 Quarterback

[Svoboda]

http://vmedia.rivals.com/IMAGES/Camper/PHOTO/MATTBARKLEYJD200.JPG

[irish4]

why is ND not on this guy? he seems to be the cream of the crop for this class of qb's judging but all of the offers he has from elite programs already...

[Svoboda]

Because he's going to SC. There really isn't much more to it.

[YoungIrish]

SC fans think hes better then Clausen and Crist combine if you ask them...

[irish4]

You're right... They started on him so early because they wanted to make sure that they didn't lose ANOTHER high-profile QB from Cali to ND.

[HoffVir]

I know it's a high school tshirt he's wearing, but damn if the top the MD icon doesn't look like the top of the interlaced 'ND'.

Does Charlie even offer him Svo?

[tedwick]

I know it's a high school tshirt he's wearing, but damn if the top the MD icon doesn't look like the top of the interlaced 'ND'.

Does Charlie even offer him Svo?haha, if he does, it's just to mess with the poodle : D

[YoungIrish]

We dont have anymore room for a So Cali QB...so I guess we can concede this one to the Poodle...you know this kid has been playing in the best league in Cali since he was a Fresh...they dont give to much respect to Crist or Clausen..Oh well..Of course he will have ND in his final 5 and prolly pick USC like they all do...I think in the past 3 years or so we have gotten the record for most top 5 finishes and maybe top 2...

[stonebreakerwasgod]

Mater Dei?? SC is perfect for him. Those guys have attitudes one can liken to 'Little Leinarts'.

[NDGirlzRock]

Mater Dei?? SC is perfect for him. Those guys have attitudes one can liken to 'Little Leinarts'.

They are too busy hitting the nightlife and tryin' to date Jessica Simpson. But it would be interesting if CW actually got him to visit and he pulled a Crist on USCless. Ahhhh the humanity of it all!

[YoungIrish]

we need a great right handed qb and a great left handed qb...and just put both guys in the shotgun...and then the center decides who to hike it to..a dual threat..lol I will try to contact charlie and express that new offense..its like the West Coast Offense..but it will be the new Midwest Offense..

[Fishin'_Irish]

Or we could just use IrishCalves.

[rdrdreamer]

Mater Dei?? SC is perfect for him. Those guys have attitudes one can liken to 'Little Leinarts'.

A perennial powerhouse Mater Dei is. They have what is equivilant to recruiting...open enrollment. You don't even need to be within their district. The are a parochial institution. They literially invite whom they want...athletically speaking that is.

[NDGirlzRock]

A perennial powerhouse Mater Dei is. They have what is equivilant to recruiting...open enrollment. You don't even need to be within their district. The are a parochial institution. They literially invite whom they want...athletically speaking that is.

Why doesn't that surprise me?

[stonebreakerwasgod]

A perennial powerhouse Mater Dei is. They have what is equivilant to recruiting...open enrollment. You don't even need to be within their district. The are a parochial institution. They literially invite whom they want...athletically speaking that is.


Yeah, my h.s. played them in basketball. I followed the careers of some of the guys..UCLA, Syracuse, etc. Most of the ones I came across were major butt-munchers.
(sorry...I left my class at the door of this post)


Disclaimer..I'm sure Barkely is a fine individual.

[NDGirlzRock]

Yeah, my h.s. played them in basketball. I followed the careers of some of the guys..UCLA, Syracuse, etc. Most of the ones I came across were major butt-munchers.
(sorry...I left my class at the door of this post)

Well if the butt fits!

[IrishKnight1023]

I wouldn't be suprised to see him getting an offer on Sept 1st. Crist and his family grew up huge SC fans and so do alot of people. Most recruits go to where they fit and feel most comfertable. Does SC have the clear advantage and will likely win his services? Yes, but why recruit if you're going to assume every kid is a lock? We offered Khaled Holmes and we know all where he is ending up. I fully expect Weis to offer him because it looks like he'll take one QB a year and Barkley is the best next year and Charlie loves him some SoCal QB's. I expect him to go to USC yes, but what harm does it do to offer him? You don't get recruits by being timid.

[dyrtdogg]

A perennial powerhouse Mater Dei is.

Yoda, is that you?

[irish21]

^^^The last 2 QBs from Mater Dei are Matt Leinart and Colt Brennan.

[NDGirlzRock]

^^^The last 2 QBs from Mater Dei are Matt Leinart and Colt Brennan.

Guess Colt didn't feel like sitting in line to play at USCless!

[marv81s]

he was the QB at Colorado, but got himself in a little bit of trouble when the scumbag was accused of raping a female student there and then transfered to Hawai'i

[irish21]

Who do you think is better?

http://footballrecruiting.rivals.com/video.asp?pkey=57197&section=fbrecruit&vidtype=prospect&vidid=95032



http://footballrecruiting.rivals.com/video.asp?pkey=57390&section=fbrecruit&vidtype=prospect&vidid=103770

[IrishKnight1023]

Barkley

[marv81s]

i can't get the second link to play for some reason

Barkley is good, nice pocket presence and can feel the preassure coming, nice accurate passes, doesn't stare down his WRs most of the time. Needs to put a little more zip on the some of his passes, but he is still young in these clips, so by the time he is a senior, he'll be a stud. He is good to say the least.

[IrishKnight1023]

They have his teams games on TV all of the time including one right now against Servite. He's very good as a So. but nowhere near what Clausen was.

[marv81s]

lets see how he does his last two years before the JC comparissons fly, 23 is right in saying that.

Kid is a sophomore in those highlights, great for a sophomore and has two years to go. JC was undeafeted in his 4 years as a starter. Bashers can say he played against "light" competition, I don't buy that and still impressive what he accomplished. Barkley has a ways to go, but he keeps playing like that and gets better, I will bet that Weis throws an offer his way, no doubt in my mind

[IrishKnight1023]

Well I'm not comparing JC as a Sr. to Barkley as a So. I am comparing them as So.'s where Jimmy threw for over 3,500 yards. They made their schedule tough for his Sr. year by adding St. Bondaventure (Jimmy wooped them in the air) and a couple of others.

[IrishKnight1023]

Make that 3,665 yards with 58 TD's and 6 INT's. BAM

[Troy's Enterprise Pride]

Make that 3,665 yards with 58 TD's and 6 INT's. BAM

Mark May called. He said those stats are average.

[NDGirlzRock]

Make that 3,665 yards with 58 TD's and 6 INT's. BAM

Hey IK whose the avatar?

[NDGirlzRock]

Mark May called. He said those stats are average.

Good one Tony!

[marv81s]

i didn't mean to make it sound like you were comparing the two. Sorry if you took it that way.

Reps to you Troy for that one

[IrishKnight1023]

Hey IK whose the avatar?

-----I felt like celebrating fall camp with one of our incoming Fr........My personal favorite recruit last year, Harrision Smith.

[irishunclebill]

Barkley is listed as the #1 player in the first release of the Rivals 100 for 2009. He is also the #1 QB on the Scout list, and most probably their #1 player as well when they rank their Top 100.

ND does not seem to have much of a shot here, but that did not stop CW from visiting Barkley at Mater Dei two days ago, and in typical CW fashion, he has made Barkley the top target for the ND 2009 class.

[NDisNCin2010]

IUB...so do we think CW's top 09 target Barkley is going to get an offer soon?

[jonesman]

I will be shocked if Barkley comes to SB. This is especially true if Crist ends up redshirting next season to put a two year spread between him and Jimmy. This would mean that Barklay is only getting one year even if he does redshirt. I will say that I prefer Crist over Barkley based on what I have seen on highlights and physicals. Crist's arm is a cannon and he runs strong.

[NDGirlzRock]

I will be shocked if Barkley comes to SB. This is especially true if Crist ends up redshirting next season to put a two year spread between him and Jimmy. This would mean that Barklay is only getting one year even if he does redshirt. I will say that I prefer Crist over Barkley based on what I have seen on highlights and physicals. Crist's arm is a cannon and he runs strong.

If that's the case, I look for Morgan from Indy to get a shot!!!!

[Sureal]

Rivals got USC as the leader...
Oh well...
:mad:

[jonesman]

Sureal,
Do not be disapointed. It is very uncommon for schools to get the top rated QB two years in a row, much less three which is what ND would do if they got barkley. Jimmy, Dayne and Barkley. How long until you end up with another Frazer and Jones situation?? We could very well go after the kid in Carmel as I suspect he could be a WR or multi-dimensional guy. We will probably go after a QB, just do not expect us to get a top 5 guy. Most of those type guys are not going to be willing to sit for 4 years hoping for that 5th year. Dayne is coming knowing that if he redshirts next season, he still gets two years, plus he is only one snap away if it is he and Jimmy. Ad another superstar to the mix and you could have issues.

[MF DOME]

I can tell you from watching him against Servite that he is the real deal. Some of the SC guys I work with would consider it Earth-shaddering if he didn't go to SC, they feel he's all wrapped up and will commit publicly at a time that will help SC momentum-wise. They're already looking good for next year's class but I totally believe ND will have another monster class next year even with taking a smaller load. My thoughts on Barkley is that it looks all SC right now, could get interesting depending on SC's qb race next year. Another thought, if UCLA hires Norm Chow, does he give the Bruins a serious look?

[scooper]

Another thought, if UCLA hires Norm Chow, does he give the Bruins a serious look?


Yes. And the same goes if they hire Neuheisel or Leach.

[MF DOME]

I said Chow because of his ties to Sc and his history producing QBs.

For those talking about Mater Dei, don't forget they sent us Huarte! GO IRISH!!!

[scooper]

I said Chow because of his ties to Sc and his history producing QBs.



And it was a great point. If I were Barkley, I'd be very interested in what is happening in Westwood. Especially considering the QB seat at USC is being kept warm for Mustain.

[MF DOME]

Yes. And the same goes if they hire Neuheisel or Leach.

Isn't Neuheisel the QB coach at Baltimore Scooper? He or Leach would grab any throwers attention. Not sure how good a fit Leach would be in LA though. I'm hearing an offer is expected to be extended to Chow if it hasn't been already. It will benefit the Irish to have someone else competing against SC with recruiting, let's hope UCLA coughs up some coin to get a solid coach to replace Dorrell. GO IRISH!!

[domehead]

Saw an interview with Barkley lasat night on "generation next"...said he is definelty high on USC, basically all PAC 10 schools. What about Mariucci (sp) is he in line possibly at UCLA?

[MF DOME]

. What about Mariucci (sp) is he in line possibly at UCLA?

He had not been contacted as of Monday. I think it looks like Chow is the focus right now, they've also interviewed their DC Walker who many consider to be a solid guy. I think Marriuchi considers himself a pro guy, even with his college background. I think it's logical to assume he (Marriuchi) would be a good fit at UCLA after coaching at Cal.

[irishziggy]

today the names i heard were chow from the Titans (former USC OC) and bronco mendenhall from BYU (HC). They said there's some interest from Boise's Peterson, but he came out right away saying he would be staying at BSU.

[jonesman]

Guys,
Let the Barkley talk rest. We have two absolute phenom's in Crist and Clausen. I have watched the film on Barkley and will say he looks very good, but I will take Crist over him. Crist has a stronger arm and much more size with good mobility. If CW gets his way, Crist will get to redshirt this season which creates that two year spread for our top two QB's. To expect ND to get the best QB in the land 3 years running spells only one thing, TRANSFERS. I am hoping we go after the kid from Carmel, IN who can play multiple positions. That is too many roster's in the hen house.

[notredomer23]

Guys,
Let the Barkley talk rest. We have two absolute phenom's in Crist and Clausen. I have watched the film on Barkley and will say he looks very good, but I will take Crist over him. Crist has a stronger arm and much more size with good mobility. .

Your forgetting that Crist is also a year ahead of Barkley. I agree Crist is the better QB, but its hard to tell because he is a year lower. I will very well take this kid too. People get injured, you might as well have good depth. Aside from that, i dont think there is much chance with him. Seems like a SoCal lock. and i do agree with you on morgan newton.

[jonesman]

I know he is a year behind Crist, but the reality is that it is almost an impossibility to stack up 5star guys at QB. There is only ONE QB going to play and that means some unhappy folks if too many horses are in the stable. Look across the top 25 of todays current rosters, almost none have multiple QB's of this level. QB is the one position it just does not work stockpiling. Look at the two teams playing for the national title. Both are woeful short on QB.

[MF DOME]

I mentioned Barkley because it relates to SC, who we play every year. My point was that having that LA talent spread out a bit more benefits ND.

On a personal level, I live in SoCal and hear all about Sc passing on Crist (not the case) in favor of Barkley. I'd get a certain amount of satisfaction seeing SC miss on him, especially if it were in favor of UCLA. For what it's worth, I don't believe Barkley was offered when Charlie visited.

I am very excited about Crist as well. I think he will be lights out in a couple years.

[scooper]

today the names i heard were chow from the Titans (former USC OC) and bronco mendenhall from BYU (HC). They said there's some interest from Boise's Peterson, but he came out right away saying he would be staying at BSU.

Some interesting names there. Bronco's one hell of a coach at BYU.

In my mind, their best bet is luring Chow with the stipulation that Walker is kept as DC. Maybe even offering him an associate HC title or something with the coin to go with it. He's worked wonders with their defense and at this point, Walker is also the glue that holds together an impressive recruiting class. They won't keep everybody, but he might be able to keep some of the good ones.

I really hope UCLA can build something out there.

[GoldenShower]

Barkley named LA Times Player of the Year along with Gatorade National Player of the Year.

http://www.latimes.com/sports/la-sp-hsbarkley26dec26,1,5730407.column?coll=la-headlines-sports

Interesting part of the article...
Barkley will soon start focusing on making a college choice. He intends to narrow his list of schools next month and make a final announcement before his senior year. Speculation has focused on USC as a leading candidate. Whatever decision he makes, he understands people will be watching

[NDIRISH44]

he's a layup for SC. after dirty sanchez who do they have? i think this kid is all SC and s/b a stud. i certainly don't mind Crist in the bullpen. i like his credentials and think he has a real level head. i think he'll challenge JC very soon. i did like the way JC settled down late in the season. you give the kid time and he can make all the throws. i'd like to see a better deep ball but we didn't quite have the time or the guys to stretch the field. bringing in floyd and hopefully a guy like deion walker would certainly open things up, especially if you can get kyle rudolph's big frame running the seam. hopefully deion doesn't choose penn state. i think their weekendatbernie's coach has a horrible scheme and certainly nobody to get him the rock in the near future. the stadium is loud and exciting but if you ain't getting in the endzone who cares.

[notredomer23]

he's a layup for SC. after dirty sanchez who do they have? i think this kid is all SC and s/b a stud. i certainly don't mind Crist in the bullpen. i like his credentials and think he has a real level head. i think he'll challenge JC very soon. i did like the way JC settled down late in the season. you give the kid time and he can make all the throws. i'd like to see a better deep ball but we didn't quite have the time or the guys to stretch the field. bringing in floyd and hopefully a guy like deion walker would certainly open things up, especially if you can get kyle rudolph's big frame running the seam. hopefully deion doesn't choose penn state. i think their weekendatbernie's coach has a horrible scheme and certainly nobody to get him the rock in the near future. the stadium is loud and exciting but if you ain't getting in the endzone who cares.

-----After Sanchez they have Mustain.

[NDIRISH44]

i think mitch cumstein will end up being one of those kids that simply doesn't get a shot in college. it's a shame arkansas messed around so much b/c he's a much better qb than casey dick. that has to be hard jumping around like that from school to school. wonder if carroll really wanted him or just wanted his receiver friend. oh well, sounds like barkley will be their guy down the road. it's pretty easy for young kids to fit into that offense, he'll have forever to throw the ball. i highly doubt he'll be running for his life like JC!

[HeavenKnows]

Rumbles on the USC boards is the Mitch Mustain could beat out Mark Sanchez for next year. The players are gravitating to Mr. Mustain.

[NDIRISH44]

good insight. i'm not sold on sanchez. i think i could thrive behind that O Line. he is certainly more athletic than mitch out of the pocket but maybe mitch has the upper hand as a pure passer. i'd rather have the Irish D going after MM than Sanchez b/c you know he won't be running wild against u.

[NDGirlzRock]

I thought Big Booty was only a junior this year!!!

[RichardRiot]

I thought Big Booty was only a junior this year!!!


Hey kicker,
The Waterboy signed with SC in the 2003 class (same class where BQ came to South Bend); he sat his first year and has used up his eligibility over the past 4 years (2004-2007).

[FrankG]

The least of our concerns is QB with Clausen and Crist. No matter how good this kid is he has a long way to go to match Clausen's resume. Crist is also 5 *. Remember we have 3 top QB last spring and lost 2 of them. Clausen is going to get an outstanding qb IF HE GETS ANY PROTECTION. Hopefully Crist will wait his turn. With CW's QB history we will not come up short as long as he is HC.

[BDirish4ever]

The least of our concerns is QB with Clausen and Crist. No matter how good this kid is he has a long way to go to match Clausen's resume. Crist is also 5 *. Remember we have 3 top QB last spring and lost 2 of them. Clausen is going to get an outstanding qb IF HE GETS ANY PROTECTION. Hopefully Crist will wait his turn. With CW's QB history we will not come up short as long as he is HC.

I agree with most of what you say FrankG, but I still firmly believe that even with limited scholarships you take a quality QB when you can get one.

[irishjay]

i think that there's a kid from IN who has 3 (weak)B10 schools listed and ND. i would think that weis would go for him over the kid from cali becasue there's a higher probability of landing a committment from him

[marv81s]

this guy is a trojan, this will be one Cali QB that ND won't get. word is he's been a silent there for months, that is why ND isn't on this guy

irishjay, i believe your talking about Morgan Newton

[Ricochet]

this guy is a trojan, this will be one Cali QB that ND won't get. word is he's been a silent there for months, that is why ND isn't on this guy

irishjay, i believe your talking about Morgan NewtonI don't think he's a silent but unless Petey leaves or the NCAA actually punishes USC then it's safe to say that he's a massive USC lean and while that more or less mean he's a silent commit I don't think he actually is but it really doesn't matter he end up being a rubber.

[irishziggy]

http://usc.rivals.com/commitlist.asp

Barkley committed to USC...no brainer

[irishjay]

obviously he was a strong lean to sc, but it's interesting that he made the decision before the gambler (slick rick) and norm chow were able to make their pitches

[daytonirish]

They've got a whole yr. to wok on this kid. As we all know by now until he signs the letter he's fair game for everyone.

[notredomer23]

Dont worry he will decommit atleast once until NSD next year

[IrishR#1]

With Dayne Crist and Jimmy Clausen, I don't think Charlie needs to spend time trying to get a QB to decommit. Go after Morgan Newton, a dual threat QB who is also a good basketball player, and focus on offensive linemen and linebackers.

[IrishKnight1023]

ND never offered him most likely because of his obvious upcoming committment to $C. It's about time they kept Californias best QB in California.

[Fishin'_Irish]

Dont worry he will decommit atleast once until NSD next year

Doubt it.

[irishunclebill]

Doubt it.

Me too Fish, if Barkley were anything but 100% Trojan for the last three years, CW would have thrown an offer at him. Why bother in this case. I fully expect to see Barkley starting at ND Stadium in the 2011 game, if not the 2009 game.

[stew654]

With Dayne Crist and Jimmy Clausen, I don't think Charlie needs to spend time trying to get a QB to decommit. Go after Morgan Newton, a dual threat QB who is also a good basketball player, and focus on offensive linemen and linebackers.

I know he is right in our back yard but enough with the duel threat qb's...can we just stick with the pro style which is obviously charlie's forte.

[CollegeFBx]

Barkely is to USC what Golic jr is to ND... Other schools should just stop wasting time..

[publicola]

"Barkely is to USC what Golic jr is to ND... Other schools should just stop wasting time.."

That's why his profile indicates that he is a USC verbal and, further, why it has seen little action on this board, douche.

[and1john]

"Barkely is to USC what Golic jr is to ND... Other schools should just stop wasting time.."

That's why his profile indicates that he is a USC verbal and, further, why it has seen little action on this board, douche.

Exactly...what an idiot

[irishunclebill]

Profile Updated with Rivals & Scout 100 Ranking , Position Ranking, and Star Rating.

Barkley is the #1 ranked 2009 recruit on both the Rivals and Scout boards, and will be almost certainly the #1 guy from wire to wire in this year's rankings.

[littlerick77]

Barkley's current stats (per Maxpreps):

Through 8 Games:
Completions: 137
Attempts: 234
%: 58.5

Yards: 2148
TD: 20
INT:11


#1 Recruit in the country?? I doubt it. I know he's good and he's just not having a good "statistics" year, but how much longer can Rivals justify him as the #1 HS FB player? :nanana:

[Akron Irish]

as long as he's committed to USC

[littlerick77]

LOL, true true

[sway716]

I'm not gonna lie, I've seen this guy and he is the real deal. He lost basically his whole offense from last year and his left tackle. And the guy who was supposed to replace him (2010 T Chris Ward who is a pretty good prospect who people say really likes ND) missed like the first 5 games and he was getting sacked and throwing picks all over the place, but he would still throw alot of TD's. Ever since Ward came back he's been great. Cali QB's are the best. We would know.:rofl: Oh yeah, Wards a beast.

[irishunclebill]

Just noticed that Rivals dumped Barkley out of the #1 spot and down to #11. They cited a disappointing late season for him. LOL. This is just further proof that their rankings are tied into their marketing programs. Barkley decided to play in ESPN's UA game instead of Rivals' AAA game and this demotion was his punishment. As if it really matters or as if Barkley cares. In any case I was not all that impressed with either Barkley, Gilbert or the alleged QB Russell Shepard at the UA game, but Barkley's performance at the UA game had nothing to do with his going from #1 to #11 on the Rivals board. His appearance alone in that game was the primary reason.

BTW, the new Rivals #1 is Reuben Randle.

[laxkid23]

He was moved down because his senior stats sucked. He will be moved back up because he won MVP of the UA game.

[laxkid23]

Believe me about moving down because of his stats. They were horrendous for him. One game he had like 4 INT's. He had no team around him. Sorry to say, but the kid is the real deal.

[irishziggy]

Just noticed that Rivals dumped Barkley out of the #1 spot and down to #11. They cited a disappointing late season for him. LOL. This is just further proof that their rankings are tied into their marketing programs. Barkley decided to play in ESPN's UA game instead of Rivals' AAA game and this demotion was his punishment. As if it really matters or as if Barkley cares. In any case I was not all that impressed with either Barkley, Gilbert or the alleged QB Russell Shepard at the UA game, but Barkley's performance at the UA game had nothing to do with his going from #1 to #11 on the Rivals board. His appearance alone in that game was the primary reason.

BTW, the new Rivals #1 is Reuben Randle.

i disagree b/c Rivals also covered the UA game. Not as in-depth as the AAA game, but they did cover it a lot more than any of the other All Star games.

Barkley had a bad senior year. That's why he dropped. I wasnt impressed with Gilbert either or Shepard (as a Qb). As an athlete though Shephard is a stud. Barkley was head and shoulders better than any other QB there.

[stonebreakerwasgod]

Sometimes it's hard to say if it is him or his teammates (just based on stats), because most of us don't know if he lost players to graduation that were integral to success as a junior.
Whenever you step up to a different level, there are no guarantees, but I'm guessing USC did their homework, otherwise they would have backed off slightly (or more).

[irishunclebill]

i disagree b/c Rivals also covered the UA game. Not as in-depth as the AAA game, but they did cover it a lot more than any of the other All Star games.

Barkley had a bad senior year. That's why he dropped. I wasnt impressed with Gilbert either or Shepard (as a Qb). As an athlete though Shephard is a stud. Barkley was head and shoulders better than any other QB there.

Zig, I haven't been really following the R100 this year but it seems that the drop for Barkley was very recent. If as they say it was because of his poor Senior season why didn't they drop him last month when the season was over instead of waiting until now. Coincidence? Maybe, maybe not.

In any case, over the last three years I have seen numerous instances of Rivals either demoting or promoting recruits based on which All Star game they participated in. Does anyone remember Doug Wiggins?

[Griff Cannon]

Just take a look at Espin's top 25 recruits now after the game and see how many of them did not participate in the Under armor game.

They did the exact same shit with the BCS games they had. "Penn State v. sUSC (on abc) will be real competitive, Penn state could win blah blah blah" (not a direct quote....) and then when it was a blow out as expected by most sane minds they then begin talk of how USC should be should have been #1. Once Utah went undefeated they ran articles saying the National Champion has already been crowned who needs the NC game (which was on fox).

It was extremely transparent to me.

[a1ND]

IUB, Rivals actually dropped Barkley at their last update (in Dec) but he will be moved back up after his MVP performance. My guess is that he will be in the top 5, possibly top 3.

Also, I do believe that depending on which game you go to affects your ranking. It's natural for say ESPN to rank the players in their game more highly for no other reason than because you get to see and evaluate them for an entire week up close and personal. Rivals is no different. Also, Rivals did not allow ESPN access to the AAA game. Here is the link stating that - http://proxy.espn.go.com/chat/chatESPN?event_id=24446

One last note, ESPN had also dropped Barkley in their rankings in Dec but have now moved him back up to #1 after the UA game. I think everyone agrees he had a poor senior season, but it's also clear the talent is there. You can look at Clausen the same way at ND. His freshman year, he looked terrible and scared (and rightfully so) because everyone was young, himself included. Now that doesn't mean he lost all his talent and I think he has clearly shown just how talented he can be when given time and you need to look no further than his last game against Hawaii. He is the most accurate (and I'm not talking just completion percentage but ball location as well) QB I have ever seen in college.

[irishunclebill]

IUB, Rivals actually dropped Barkley at their last update (in Dec) but he will be moved back up after his MVP performance. My guess is that he will be in the top 5, possibly top 3.

Also, I do believe that depending on which game you go to affects your ranking. It's natural for say ESPN to rank the players in their game more highly for no other reason than because you get to see and evaluate them for an entire week up close and personal. Rivals is no different. Also, Rivals did not allow ESPN access to the AAA game. Here is the link stating that - http://proxy.espn.go.com/chat/chatESPN?event_id=24446

One last note, ESPN had also dropped Barkley in their rankings in Dec but have now moved him back up to #1 after the UA game. I think everyone agrees he had a poor senior season, but it's also clear the talent is there. You can look at Clausen the same way at ND. His freshman year, he looked terrible and scared (and rightfully so) because everyone was young, himself included. Now that doesn't mean he lost all his talent and I think he has clearly shown just how talented he can be when given time and you need to look no further than his last game against Hawaii. He is the most accurate (and I'm not talking just completion percentage but ball location as well) QB I have ever seen in college.

Thanks for the info. I have not been paying a whole lot of attention to the R100. They did issue the final R100 for 2009 today and your prediction on Barkley was correct, he moved up to #5. Bryce Brown ended up #1. They dropped Randle to #2.