Matt Barkley
Class of 2023 Inductee
Mater Dei(Santa Ana)
Player (QB)
Accomplishments
During High School
- At Mater Dei, became the first freshman quarterback to start since Todd Marinovich.
- Mater Dei Coach, Bruce Rollinson, permitted Barkley to call his own plays, something he had never allowed a player to do during coaching two-plus decades with the Monarchs.
- After his junior season, he was named 2007 football Gatorade National Player of the Year, then the 2007 Gatorade National Male Athlete of the Year, becoming the first non-senior to win both awards.
- Won the 2007 Glenn Davis Award, given to the best high school football player in Southern California
- Won the inaugural Joe Montana Award as the nation’s top high school quarterback.
- Finished career at Mater Dei as the all-time passing yardage leader in Orange County, surpassing the record set by Todd Marinovich in 1987.
During College
- Played for the USC Trojans from 2009-12 after enrolling early from Mater Dei following graduation.
- Became the first true freshman quarterback to ever start an opener for the Trojans, and the first true freshman to start the opener for a preseason top-five team since Rick Leach did it for #3 Michigan in 1975.
- In his second career start, Barkley rallied the Trojans on the road at Ohio Stadium with an 86-yard game winning drive late in the fourth quarter against the Buckeyes.
- Finished his USC career with over 12,000 passing yards and 116 touchdown passes
Post College
- 4th Round pick in the 2013 NFL Draft, and has played games with Philadelphia, Chicago and Buffalo.
