Booty plans to stay for senior season

USC Coach Pete Carroll invited quarterback John David Booty to his office on Tuesday for a conversation that had nothing to do with tipped passes or the Trojans’ loss to Oregon State.

Instead, Carroll felt compelled to meet with Booty amid radio and Internet discussions that said the fourth-year junior might leave for the NFL after only one year as the starter.

Booty skipped his senior season in high school to enroll at USC in the fall of 2003. After waiting three years for an opportunity to start, he has passed for 16 touchdowns with five interceptions, the same totals Matt Leinart had after seven games in 2005.

Booty said he was not considering leaving after this season.

“I’ve never even thought about it,” he said. “I just know that I came here early, and looking back, I don’t think I was the best prepared to play here, mentally, at the time.

“I’m not going to make the same mistake.”

Still, Carroll said he welcomed the opportunity to discuss the subject with the quarterback, who nearly brought the Trojans back from a 23-point deficit against Oregon State.

“I wanted to make sure that he at least had a base understanding of how we would talk about the topic and that we can talk about that topic and it’s not something that’s unapproachable,” Carroll said.

Asked if he thought Booty’s departure after this season was a possibility, Carroll said, “If he’s the first guy in the draft, he should go, and we talked about it like that.”

Booty, 6 feet 3, 210 pounds, is a pro prospect, but Notre Dame senior Brady Quinn, a four-year starter, is regarded as the top draft-eligible quarterback and could be the first player chosen in April.

“It isn’t a decision that ever should be worked on now no matter what your status,” Carroll said. “You’ve got to wait and finish it out and see what happens.

“If there’s a lot to it, then I’ll go into great depth to help him understand what his options would be.”

USC, which is eighth in the Bowl Championship Series standings, began this season regarded by many college football observers as a team that was a year away from contending for a national title. The Trojans could start the 2007 season near the top of the polls and Booty would probably be in the Heisman Trophy discussion.

“He could come back with this team next year with a chance to be one of the best teams in the country, noticeably, right from the start with all the returning players and expectations anybody could ever have going into your senior year,” Carroll said. “He’s seen that happen too. He watched Matt. He watched him benefit and knows Matt well enough to know what he was like emotionally had he come out after his junior year or as he was coming out after his senior year.

“It was a distinct difference, and he’s aware of that.”

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The upset loss to Oregon State resonated so much with Thomas Williams, he requested a switch from linebacker to fullback.

“I’d been asked a few times before and I really wasn’t too fond about it, so I kind of shrugged it off,” said Williams, a fourth-year junior. “But I’ve been here for so long, and before this last weekend I only had two losses under my belt to two really good teams.

“I just said, ‘You know, this is a bigger picture than about myself. This is about winning games.’ ”

Carroll said Williams, like the injured Ryan Powdrell, would bring a physical presence to the position and an advanced understanding because of his role as a linebacker.

“He can identify the defense, which is so much a part of being a fullback,” said Carroll, who added that Williams would play Saturday against Stanford.

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Linebacker Rey Maualuga was limited because of groin strain and is day to day, according to Carroll.... As part of the Trojans’ focus on avoiding turnovers, players who fumbled or had passes intercepted were forced to jog a lap. “We did that in camp,” Carroll said. “Now that we have a chance to emphasize it again we’re pulling out old incentive programs.”

gary.klein@latimes.com