COMMENTARY

By Matt Hayes

updated 5:10 a.m. ET June 21, 2005

Matt Hayes

Maybe it's fitting the way he found out. His brother Josh, once the golden boy high school star quarterback who never really got his fair shot, delivered the news John David Booty knew was coming.

Matt Leinart would stay for his senior season at Southern Cal. And Booty, the golden boy prep phenom who left high school a full year early to enroll at USC, would wait another season to get his shot. So if you're counting at home, this fall begins Year No. 3 of watching and wondering if the kid who can't miss is destined to find the same fate of his brother, who couldn't either — and then did.

"If that's what happens, then that's what's supposed to happen," John David says. "But I'm going to overcome the odds."

And the doubters. You know, the people who say John David Booty falls in line with Josh Booty, Brock Berlin and Brent Rawls — all major recruits who put up huge numbers at Evangel Christian (Shreveport, La.), won state championships and were among the most highly recruited players in their classes. Yet none of these quarterbacks has come close to duplicating that success at the college level.

Josh Booty played professional baseball for five years in the Marlins' organization before leaving and playing football at LSU. Caught in the transition from a former coach (Gerry DiNardo) to a new coach (Nick Saban) and in a rebuilding situation, Booty bounced in and out of the lineup and left for the NFL after two seasons with the Tigers. He's now trying to get back in the league after sitting out last season. Berlin couldn't beat out Rex Grossman at Florida, transferred to Miami and had too many lows overshadow not enough highs. Rawls signed with Oklahoma and never played a down for the Sooners.

Which brings us to John David Booty — or J.D., as he's known in SoCal. He is, Josh says, the most gifted Booty brother to play football. And Josh and brother Abram, a former wide receiver at LSU, were high school legends.

John David left high school early because USC coach Pete Carroll promised him a legitimate chance to replace departed Heisman Trophy winner Carson Palmer. Booty got that chance and in just 15 practices nearly won the job. Just how impressive was he in that first fall camp? He beat out Matt Cassel for the top backup spot — and Cassel was drafted by the Patriots in April after throwing only 33 passes in five seasons at USC.

Booty redshirted last season and was primed to take over this fall before Leinart's surprising decision to return for his senior season. John David was driving on the busy 405 freeway in Los Angeles when the call came from Josh.

"Didn't want him driving off the road," Josh laughs.

"Everything happens for a reason; I know that," John David says now.

There's a reason Booty signed with USC instead of LSU, the team he grew up dreaming about. A reason he'll be looking forward to garbage time this season instead of beginning his second or third year as a starter for an LSU team talented enough to play in the Rose Bowl national championship game.

And you better believe that thought has crossed his mind over the past two years.

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