Player Career

Matt Barkley Career Story

Career story, signature performances, transfer context, and season arc are grouped for biography-style searches.

Player Story

Matt Barkley story

Matt Barkley built his college career from 2009 through 2012 as a quarterback from Newport Beach, CA wearing No. 7, spending time with USC. The clearest part of Matt Barkley's career was his passing role: 12,327 passing yards, 116 touchdown passes, and 1,562 attempts across 47 career games in the available record. His largest box-score season came in 2011 with USC. Those numbers show where he fit, how often the ball or action found him, and how his role developed over time.

Quarterback careers are usually judged first by volume, efficiency, and scoring chances. With 47 career games in the available record, his career has enough shape to show both opportunity and production across USC.

The arc is straightforward: Matt Barkley moved through the depth chart, found a larger role, and turned that opportunity into production that can be understood through standard football numbers.

Career Arc

Track team changes, role shifts, and season-to-season movement.

  1. 1

    USC

    2009-2012

    Opening stop

Season Value Progression

20092009201020112012
SeasonTeamPrimaryEfficiencyUsageDelta
2009 PostseasonUSC2,6975411.6
2009 Regular SeasonUSC2,6975411.60
2010 Regular SeasonUSC2,77456.68.577
2011 Regular SeasonUSC3,54261.17.6768
2012 Regular SeasonUSC3,20157.98.1-341

Signature Performances

Top Games

#1 Featured game

vs Hawai'i

Week 1 · W 49-10

Win with 372 yards of offense and 80.7 efficiency.

372

Total Offense

77.8 takeover

372 total offense with 80.7 efficiency.

#2

@ Washington State

Week 4 · W 50-16 · Conference game

290

Total Offense

72.4 takeover

Win shaped by high passing volume and turnover pressure.

290 total offense with 76.2 efficiency.

#3

@ Stanford

Week 6 · L 35-37 · Conference game

423

Total Offense

71.6 takeover

Loss with 423 yards of offense and 75.1 efficiency.

423 total offense with 75.1 efficiency.

#4

vs Minnesota

Week 1 · W 19-17

304

Total Offense

71 takeover

Win with 304 yards of offense and 77.3 efficiency.

304 total offense with 77.3 efficiency.

#5

@ Notre Dame

Week 7 · W 34-27

363

Total Offense

63.3 takeover

Win with 363 yards of offense and 62.9 efficiency.

363 total offense with 62.9 efficiency.

Top Seasons

#1 Season by Season Value

2011 Regular Season · USC

3,542 primary output · 61.1 efficiency · 7.6 usage

65

#2

2012 Regular Season · USC

59.6

3,201 primary · 57.9 efficiency · 8.1 usage

#3

2009 Postseason · USC

58.9

2,697 primary · 54 efficiency · 11.6 usage

Milestones

23

250+ passing yards

16

300+ total offense

23

3+ TD games

19

Above avg efficiency