Will Matt Kalil Stay at USC? Breaking Down Rumors and Facts of Kalil's Future

USC junior offensive tackle Matt Kalil, one of the top overall prospects available for the 2012 NFL draft, now has a major decision to make concerning whether he should leave for the pros or return to USC for his senior season.

There have already been plenty of rumors floated out there about what Kalil's decision will be, but we still haven't gotten any official word from Kalil or USC saying what his choice actually is.

Here's a look at some of the rumors and reports that we've heard so far and a breakdown of what Kalil should ultimately do.

CBS Sports Says He Will Stay

On Dec. 8, Rob Rang of CBS Sports got the rumor ball rolling by saying that Matt Kalil was set to return for his senior season, citing a “source close to the situation.” In the article, Rang mentioned he had talked to one NFL scout, who said he had also heard that Kalil was leaning towards staying.

Rang posted the article on his blog without official confirmation or word from anyone at USC or in the Kalil camp, so it’s hard to tell just how reliable his source really is.

The Los Angeles Times Says He Hasn't Made a Decision

Soon after Rang posted the article on CBSSports.com, the Los Angeles Times came out, refuted the reports and got Kalil’s response.

"I'm not close to making a decision. That will probably happen in the next couple weeks. No decision has been made. I just started thinking about the process I’m going to go through to make the decision,” said Kalil.

Why Should He Leave?

Matt Kalil is widely considered the top overall offensive tackle prospect available for the 2012 draft.

He’s the type of potential future franchise tackle that will warrant heavy interest early on in the first round of the draft, and it would be hard to see him escaping the top 10 if he does decide to throw his hat in the ring.

I rated Kalil as my No. 8 overall prospect on my recent Top 100 Prospects list, but I wouldn’t be surprised if he comes off the board somewhere in the top five, given that a team like the Minnesota Vikings, who are set to be picking pretty early, would love to draft a top tackle to build its line around.  

The 6'7", 295-pound junior is one of the most athletically gifted lineman prospects we’ve seen in years, and after the type of dominant campaign he had in 2011, it’s doubtful that any of the other highly rated tackle prospects, such as Stanford’s Jonathan Martin, Iowa’s Riley Reiff, Iowa State’s Kelechi Osemele or Georgia’s Cordy Glenn, would be able to do enough in the offseason to overtake him.

The lure of a top-10 contract and all the many millions that come along with that definitely has to be enticing to Kalil.

Why Should He Stay?

If QB Matt Barkley and other top-rated USC underclassmen like DE Nick Perry and safety T.J. McDonald all decide to return for their senior seasons, the Trojans will likely enter 2012 ranked as one of the top five teams in the country, and they would have all the makings of a true national title contender.

Even if Barkley decides to leave for the NFL like most people expect, there is still enough talent at USC for the Trojans to be able to compete for a Pac-12 championship and a berth in a BCS bowl game in their first year after their two-year postseason ban is lifted.

If Kalil decides to stay, he'll have the chance to possibly end his career with a conference championship and a Rose Bowl berth, and those could be things the highly touted tackle wants to put on his résumé.

There's also the possibility that if all the highly rated underclassman quarterbacks come out this year, Kalil could enter next season as the favorite to be the No. 1 pick of the 2013 draft if he opts to stay.

So What Will Kalil Ultimately Do?

In the end, I wouldn't be surprised to see Matt Barkley and Matt Kalil turn out to be basically a package deal.

If Barkley decides to stay at USC, that would really motivate Kalil to return as well, as USC would then have the type of team that could compete for a national title.

If Barkley leaves, if I were Kalil, I would join him in the 2012 NFL draft.

Very rarely do almost sure-fire top-10 picks bypass the NFL and return to college, because by doing so, you're risking millions of dollars with a potential injury.

If I was in Kalil's shoes and I saw my quarterback going to the NFL, personally, I would make the decision to leave as well.