USC’s Matt Barkley says he could’ve done a few things differently

Matt Barkley is looking ahead to this week’s NFL draft, but the former USC quarterback also looked back during an interview with Michael Silver of Yahoo! Sports.

Barkley told Silver that he could have “done a few things differently” during his final season at USC.

“I could’ve had a bigger voice, given more input and taken it to the next level — pretty much as the owner of the company might … not just letting things happen,” Barkley said.

“You put faith in your coaches, but when you see trends, things not happening the right way, and when the team rests on your shoulders, it’s almost like you have to step up. You can’t just let these things go by and watch them disintegrate in front of you. You’ve got to put the glue in somewhere. Looking back, I wish I’d been more forceful.”

Barkley is part of a quarterback class that includes West Virginia’s Geno Smith and Syracuse’s Ryan Nassib, among others.

Barkley’s name was absent from several NFL experts’ first-round mock drafts, but he still could hear his name announced by NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell on Thursday night.

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