USC Football's Current Quarterback Controversy: Cody Kessler vs. Max Wittek

There is a quarterback controversy brewing at USC.

Two young players, nearly equal in capability, are vying to be "the Man."

Actually, they are fighting to be the man behind "the Man."

Cody Kessler and Max Wittek are getting more attention this spring than Heisman front-runner and starting quarterback Matt Barkley. They know that a year from now Barkley will be training as a top NFL Draft pick and one of these men will be training to take the helm at USC.

That’s not an act any one really wants to follow. Either of these two are in danger of becoming the next John David Booty.

Booty, also known as that one guy between Matt Leinart and Mark Sanchez, was never a terrible quarterback. He is fifth on USC’s all time list for completions (518) and passing yards (5,945), and fourth in touchdown passes (55). On paper, that looks good.

But he followed two Heisman Trophy winners and preceded a Top-5 NFL Draft pick.

Now, it’s hard to predict a player’s future as a starting quarterback. Both Kessler and Wittek have stellar high school resumes that ooze with potential, but there is no question that they have a tough act to follow even if Barkley doesn’t walk away with the Heisman.

Just imagine the scene.

“Here ya go kid. I’ve had this program for four years. I lead it through its darkest time in history and restored it to its previous glory. I gave up becoming an instant millionaire to make sure I finished the job properly. Now don’t break anything.”

Yikes.

Think about the pressure that the staff is under, too. If their first choice doesn’t pan out, could you imagine Lane Kiffin telling the media “I got the wrong guy?"

Not quite.

So the staff has been trying to figure out which one will be the Trojan's Next Great Leader since the second they both enrolled early last spring.

Initially, Cody Kessler inched ahead by a nose. He shared backup duties with walk-on John Manoogian. If the game just needed someone to run out the clock, Manoogian would hand of the ball and preserve Kessler’s redshirt. If the game was on the line and Barkley was injured, Kessler would go in.

He might have won that more on a specific personality trait than ability. After one stellar performance in a scrimmage, granted against the second and third team, Kiffin called Kessler a “gamer.” He is someone who not only stays calm under pressure, but he knows how to turn things up a notch when the lights are brightest and the pressure is highest.

And that is exactly the kind of environment he would have encountered were Barkley to go down in the middle of a game. But Kessler never had to go into the game in 2011, so the calm-under-pressure theory never got a test run after all.

As of now, Kiffin has told the media that he feels comfortable with both signal callers.

Spring scrimmage stats don’t mean much, but last Saturday Wittek completed 7-of-10 passes for 47 yards with the first team. Kessler went 6-of-10 for 38 yards with the second team.

Granted, Robert Woods is still recovering from offseason surgery, Marqise Lee was at a track and field invitational in Texas and all four scholarship tight ends are injured, so neither quarterback had an advantage on the receiving end of the ball.

How much do the numbers tell you? Not a lot.

What we do know is that Wittek has the stronger arm, but Kessler has great ball control and intangibles. Both are very comfortable with the offense. Both have shown overall improvement from a year ago.

If they weren’t at USC, either could be vying for a starting position at another school.

But instead, they are just trying to be the backup. The No. 2. The clipboard-holder. And one day, one of them will be "the guy to follow Matt Barkley."

Pray that history is kind enough to not call him that.