USC Football: Why Max Browne Will Be Perfect Successor to Matt Barkley

2013 USC football commit and 5-star quarterback Max Browne is a tremendous prospect, and he'll be able to take over the program's reins without a hitch when Matt Barkley takes the next step on to the NFL.

There's little doubt that USC is back on the rise, and much of that has to do with Barkley's stellar quarterback play.

In 2011, Barkley led the Trojans to an impressive 10-2 record that included a win over Oregon, a 50-0 demolition of the UCLA Bruins and a loss to Stanford that took three overtimes. Barkley threw for 3,528 yards and 39 touchdowns with a quarterback rating of 161.2.

Needless to say, he was a huge part of the success USC experienced in 2011, and he'll be even more important in 2012 if they want to live up to the national championship standards that have been placed on them.

Let's look a bit further into the future though. After Barkley's senior year, the NFL will be calling, and USC will have to say goodbye to the quarterback who has helped put them back at or near the top of the college football world.

Many programs wouldn't be lucky enough to have a quarterback that could step in and replace a star like Barkley without missing a beat.

USC will not be one of those programs.

Lane Kiffin and the Trojans have themselves a gem in Browne, and to be frank, the timing of this eventual transition couldn't be better. Granted, he will have competition in the form of Cody Kessler and Max Wittek, but Browne is such a great quarterback prospect that competition shouldn't matter.

He looks like he's going to be that good, so the Trojans would be dumb not to give him the job.

At 6'5'' and 202 pounds, Browne is a perfect-sized college quarterback prospect. If anything, he can put on some muscle and make himself even more physically imposing. He stands tall in the pocket against the rush, which also gives him a great view of the secondary—and he can exploit that to perfection.

He has a strong arm and can haul it down the field, but what stands out most is his accuracy. You'd think that because of his size, power would be the name of the game, but that's not necessarily the case.

Browne has an uncanny ability to throw the deep ball with incredible touch and accuracy, and that's what will make him especially dangerous for USC.

As if all that wasn't enough, Browne is mobile and has a good feel of the pocket. He can also make the same accurate, powerful throw while on the run.

There's literally nothing to dislike about Browne as a prospect. While watching his highlights, I couldn't help but think to myself that I was watching a young quarterback with the accuracy and ability of an Aaron Rodgers, but the size and presence of a leaner Ben Roethlisberger.

Perhaps those are tough comparisons for the young man, but from what I've seen, he has all the ability to live up to anything that is put on him—including the high standards that come with being a USC quarterback.

The Trojans won't miss a beat once Browne gets his time under center. He'll be the perfect successor to Barkley.