Winners and losers of the exodus

[BAMAPHIN 22]

Last year, the undisputed top story of college football's annual postseason draft scramble was USC quarterback Matt Leinart's decision to bypass NFL riches and return for his senior season. A year later, nearly all the big names -- Vince Young, Reggie Bush, LenDale White -- took the money and ran.



Winner: Penn State

Coach Joe Paterno loses 13 senior starters from last year's 11-1 squad, including standouts such as QB Michael Robinson, DE Tamba Hali and CB Alan Zemaitis, but he was able to retain his two All-America juniors, LB Paul Posluszny and LT Levi Brown. "I have decided to declare myself eligible," joked Brown, "for another year of coaching under Joe Paterno."

Obviously, having Butkus-winner Posluszny back for another season is a huge plus, but Brown's decision may prove even more beneficial. It took three years for Penn State to develop a formidable offensive line (the Nittany Lions went from ninth in the Big Ten in rushing in 2004 to second in '05), and now four of those starters are graduating. With a mentor like Brown back, perhaps the next crop of newbies won't take quite so long to mature.

Loser: USC

Coach Pete Carroll's talent-stocked program has weathered the departures of star players nearly every offseason. But until this year, he'd actually gone relatively light on underclass defections, losing just three (DE Kenechi Udeze, WR Mike Williams and LB Lofa Tatupu) in four seasons. Now he's lost a staggering five: RBs Bush and White, OLs Winston Justice and Fred Matua and S Darnell Bing. All but Matua were expected to leave, though Carroll reportedly tried hard to sway Justice and Bing into returning and improving their stock.

The Trojans' backfield will likely be a work in progress next season. Incoming freshmen like Emmanuel Moody will have a chance to contribute immediately. Former starter Hershel Dennis, who had just 28 carries in 2004 and missed last season with a knee injury, is expected back, but isn't nearly as explosive as Bush or White. Three other returnees in the backfield, Desmond Reed, Chauncey Washington and Michael Coleman, are expected to miss spring practices. An equally big loss is Bing, USC's defensive leader, who along with departed senior Scott Ware leaves holes at the two safety positions. Possible replacements include identical twins Ryan and Brandon Ting, who saw significant playing time this season.


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