FanHouse MattBarkley

When FanHouse spoke to Will Ferrell at the 2009 USTA Arthur Ashe Kids Day on Saturday in Flushing, N.Y., we decided to ask him about some hot-button issues making sports headlines these days. I mean, who wouldn't want to know what Ferrell thinks about Brett Favre or Michael Vick returning to the NFL? Of course, we also discussed the decision to name freshman Matt Barkley the starting quarterback at his alma mater, USC.

Other topics discussed were whether Anchorman 2 will become a reality, his favorite sports broadcaster of all-time, and whatever happened to Pearl. Check out the full video interview below.

LOS ANGELES -- There's no question about the success USC's football program has had in the Pete Carroll era.

Two national championships and seven consecutive Pac-10 titles (a league record), 11-win seasons, AP Top-4 finishes and BCS bowl appearances.

Throw in the fact that the Trojans have also produced three Heisman Trophy winners, along with a truckload of first-round draft picks every year, and it's easy to understand why any decisions Carroll makes with his program are rarely second-guessed.

Until now.

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The Under Armour High School All-American Game, featuring a slew of fantastic college recruits, is finishing up right now on ESPN, and lo and behold, Tommy Tuberville is one of the analysts.

This isn't particularly shocking -- Tuberville is a smart guy, a great football coach and a fantastic recruiter. It is interesting, though, because it shows just how appealing the WWL is for former coaches, in terms of immediate supplemental income.

Tuberville made a pretty interesting point relating to cornerbacks (versus other positions on the field) that relates to the current state of the college game: they're more valuable than any other spot on the field, because the spread offense has become so prevalent. Tuberville also mentioned that defensive lineman are the easiest players to project in terms of progression from high school to college.

Matt Barkley, a USC quarterback recruit (surprising, huh?), ended up pulling player of the game honors after firing 11-of-22 for 235 yards and two touchdowns, while Garrett Gilbert, the other top QB recruit (headed to Texas) also put on a show in a losing effort.

Future USC Trojan Matt Barkley made history yesterday when he became the first high school junior to take home top honors at the Gatorade High School athlete of the year awards.

Barkley received the award from former USC Trojan and Gatorade Award winner Matt Leinart at a pre-ESPY reception at West Hollywood's swank Sofitel Hotel.

"I'm amazed," Barkley insightfully told the Los Angeles Times. "It's awesome."

Unlike last year's winner, the one-and-done Kevin Love, Barkley will take his award back to high school for another year--and he was spared a grilling by FanHouse's own Miss Gossip and yours truly. I can only imagine what questions I would have had for Mister Leinart.

Here's hoping your school isn't using whiskey as mouthwash thinking about who it woke up next to this morning

Themes

USC Soars Late, Pulls Shocker

Tallahassee Lincoln kids love to flirt, and they're never lacking for suitors. But when push comes to shove, the vast majority of them break hearts and stick with the hometown Seminoles. So it came as a complete shock to many people when highly regarded cornerback T.J. Bryant cast his lot with Pete Carroll and USC.

USC lost out on Alabama linebacker Jerrell Harris, but did pull in Bryant, Michigan linebacker Nick Perry and Los Angeles linebacker Uona Kavienga throughout the second half of the day to slide into 7th place in the Rivals.com rankings. It's been a great month of recruiting overall as USC recently got a pledge from the nation's top player for 2009 in quarterback Matt Barkley along with several other preliminary top 100 recruits. Damn.

Back To The Future

As expertly stated by EDSBS, the top of the recruiting rankings have a certain 1985 feel. Alabama, Oklahoma, Notre Dame, Miami ... thank heaven for moth balls.

Miscellany

Notre Dame has a great deal to prove on the field after last year's disaster and two consecutive BCS flops. However, the Irish were magnificent in holding together their recruiting class and finding some decent guys in the trenches (at least on defense, anyway). The same can be said for UCLA after the departure of coach Karl Dorrell.

Jumpin' Sam McGuffie briefly flirted with California, but he's come home now and will stick with Michigan.