While much of the country hasn’t begun to thaw out, the Trojans started spring practice under beautiful SoCal skies. At first it seemed like there might be a little rust, but then Joe McKnight would take a fast step or Christian Tupou would show some muscle and the team looked sharp as always.

All eyes are on the battle at quarterback battle but there’s little to report on that front. Mark Sanchez is still the leader and Mitch Mustain is hot on his tail. Aaron Corp, who used to look pretty lanky, seemed much more solid (he’s added 18 pounds since coming to USC). Coach Pete Carroll remained noncommittal on whether he’ll even name a starter by the end of the 15-session camp. Regardless, the fact that USC has a trio of five-star recruits competing for quarterback should frighten the bejebus out of their opponents in 2008.

Yet another five-star quarterback, Matt Barkley, was also on the practice field. He was just stopping by since he’s only a junior in high school. The youngest ever Gatorade National Player of the Year has already committed to the Trojans.

There will be several other compelling position battles to watch. Ricky Rosas, special assistant to Pete Carroll and Gatorade bartender extraordinaire, said he plans on paying special attention to the tailbacks and wide receivers. Similar to last year, USC has an embarrassment of riches in their backfield. In the receiving corps, transfer Damian Williams from Arkansas was a breath of fresh air and looks ready to make a big impact.

Speaking of Ricky and Barkley, both are nominated in the 2008 Southern California Sports Awards put on by ESPN 710.

LA Times football writer Gary Klein stopped by after practice to talk shop — click play to get some more reflections on USC’s first day back in the trenches:

You can also catch a few minutes from Pete Carroll’s post-practice media gaggle:

UPDATE: If you listen to the audio above, Carroll doesn’t get pinned down on naming a quarterback by the end of camp, merely saying, "That’d be nice … I don’t care when it happens." But offensive coordinator Steve Sarkisian left little doubt that it will happen by April 19. I wouldn’t call that a discrepancy, just more specificity.