To view a photo slide show of Matt Barkley and some other Fab 15 selections, click on the photo to the right.

LOS ANGELES- Matt Barkley was standing in Heritage Hall at USC last month for all of a minute before an admiring fan approached the former Mater Dei quarterback.

Never mind that the 18-year-old has yet to play a single down for Trojans.

And, never mind those senior-season blues in the Pac-5 Division.

When it comes to Barkley at USC, it's his promise that remains the main attraction.

"To me, he's still the No. 1 quarterback (recruit) in the country," said Greg Biggins, a West Coast recruiting expert for ESPN.

Barkley, who leads the Register's Fab 15 team that honors the top recruits in the western United States, also is focused on his future.

Wednesday is the first day high school seniors can sign letter of intents with colleges. Barkley already has the day beaten. Last month, he enrolled at USC and been taking classes for almost four weeks. He also has been diving into the Trojans' playbook and anticipating the race for the starting job vacated by the NFL-bound Mark Sanchez (Mission Viejo).

"In a couple months," Barkley said, "it's going to get pretty heated up around here."

While Barkley is excited to be at USC, he has reflected on his senior season at Mater Dei.

After being selected Gatorade's national football player and overall boys athlete of the year as a junior, he fell short of producing an equally impressive sequel.

In the fall, Barkley passed for about 2,900 yards and tossed 23 touchdowns but he also was intercepted a county-high 18 times.

As a junior, he threw for an Orange County single-season record 3,560 yards, 35 touchdowns and had just nine interceptions.

"Could have anyone really measured up to all the hype?" Mater Dei coach Bruce Rollinson said.

Barkley said he was aware of the high expectations but said the pressure didn't get to him.

"I think I was trying to do too much at times, trying to force balls to try and compensate for just different aspects," he said. "I was kind of out of my comfortable zone."

Some of the changes included a fresh group of receivers, new linemen and adjustments to the playbook.

"I think that he felt that there was so much on him, so he put a lot of pressure on himself to make a lot of big plays, and that led to some poor decisions," Biggins said.

Barkley, however, remained upbeat and kept competing. And the four-year starter certainly didn't blame teammates. "He just dealt with it and that character in him is what I respect the most," Rollinson said.

Despite the drop in production, Barkley (6-foot-3, 222 pounds) still easily emerged as the top prospect in the Register's annual Fab 15 team. ESPN.com ranks him as the No. 1 overall prospect in the nation. Scout.com has him No. 2.

"You don't scout based on stats," Biggins said. "He anticipates so well. He's very poised. He's a great leader. He makes every throw you can want. He's very, very accurate. All those things translate (to college success).

"The poor decisions he made - that can be coached out of him."

Barkley seemed to validate his rankings with a stellar performance at the Under Armour All-America Game in Orlando on Jan. 4. The strong-armed, pro-style passer earned MVP honors by throwing for 237 yards and two touchdowns to lead his team to the victory.

"Yeah, I wanted to make a point and show everyone that I'm not one (big season performer) and done," he said.

Barkley believes the adversity from his senior season has made him wiser for the journey ahead.

So what did he learn?

"You can see how much the tides can change with the crowds, and I know that's only going be more apparent here," he said last month during a break at USC.

The challenge will start during spring practice. Despite being a freshman, Barkley will be expected by some to push the more experienced Mitch Mustain and Aaron Corp (Orange Lutheran) for the starting job.

Yes, more expectations for Matt Barkley.

"The pressure is back on but I don't know if the expectations are as high," Rollinson said. "But the more success he has in, ay, spring football, the higher expectations are going to be, and I think he is completely prepared to deal with that."

Barkley said he has dreamed about being at USC but knows his story has only begun.

"I know the opportunities that are placed in front of me," he said. "It's up to me to make sure it gets done."

• Fab 15: First team, part one
• Fab 15: First team, part two
• Fab 15: First team, part three
• Fab 15: Second team, part one
• Fab 15: Second team, part two
• Fab 15: Second team, part three

Contact the writer: dalbano@ocregister.com