USC football: Aaron Corp begins spring practice at Richmond

This article was originally on a blog post platform and may be missing photos, graphics or links. See About archive blog posts.

Aaron Corp announced in January that he was leaving USC. A day later, news broke that Pete Carroll was bolting too. Corp left for a chance to start at quarterback for Richmond, Carroll to coach the NFL’s Seattle Seahawks.

Corp, who begins spring practice Wednesday afternoon, is excited about his opportunity, but he allowed that he might have taken more time to consider his situation at USC had he known the coaching staff was changing.

“It would have been prudent, but I’m happy where I’m at,” he said in a telephone interview. “I have no regrets.”

Well, perhaps one.

‘It’s not easy walking through 4 feet of snow in the winter,” he said, chuckling.

Corp was the Trojans’ starting quarterback going into training camp last summer, but he suffered a leg injury that opened the door for coaches to install freshman Matt Barkley.

Corp started in the Trojans’ loss at Washington then later fell to No. 3 on the depth chart behind Barkley and Mitch Mustain.

Corp remains in contact with former USC teammates and said he received a message wishing him luck from Jeremy Bates, the Trojans’ former quarterbacks coach who is now offensive coordinator for the Seahawks.

Richmond plays in the Football Championship Subdivision, so Corp, a fourth-year junior, does not have to sit out a year. The Spiders open the season Sept. 4 at Virginia, which plays USC at the Coliseum a week later.

“My first job is to go out and win the starting job and, obviously in the process, establish myself as a leader and prove to the guys that I can play,” Corp said.

-- Gary Klein