The quarterback battle has been a heavy topic through spring camp with Graham Harrell opening up the starting job. Now the competition comes down to just three. Per ESPN’s Kyle Bonagura, Redshirt junior Matt Fink has entered the NCAA transfer portal, late Wednesday afternoon. USC QB Matt Fink has entered the transfer portal, per source. — Kyle Bonagura (@BonaguraESPN) April 17, 2019 Fink’s decision comes after the USC Trojans wrapped up spring camp last week. The redshirt junior along with freshman Kedon Slovis, sophomore JT Daniels, and redshirt sophomore Jack Sears competed for the open starting quarterback position. Head coach Clay Helton and the coaching staff’s plan was to give the quarterbacks an indication of where they stood in terms of the starting position, heading into summer and fall camp. Speculation is that Fink was not going to win the starting job. Fink will graduate in July and will be eligible to play immediately as a grad transfer. While Fink intends to transfer, he hasn’t shut the door on a possible return to the Trojans, however he made it known that he’s looking to compete and win a starting job wherever he goes. During the first week of spring camp, redshirt sophomore cornerback Greg Johnson returned to the team following entering his name in the transfer portal just a week prior to camp. Fink was a rated as a three-star quarterback in the 2016 recruiting class per the 247 Sports Composite. Fink was redshirted his freshman year. In 2017 he was a back up to Sam Darnold and saw action during mop up duty which included a 51 yard run against Oregon State. Last season Fink took more snaps, in four games for the Trojans. Two of those games he relieved an injured Daniels (Utah and Stanford). In the blowout loss against Utah, Fink led USC on two scoring drives, however the redshirt junior quarterback would sustain broken ribs following a hit late in the foutth quarter. What does Fink’s transfer mean for the quarterback position? USC is now down to three scholarship quarterbacks in Daniels, Sears, and Slovis. It could put the Trojans in a hairy situation if injuries become a factor like last season. It’ll also mean the quarterback battle is down to three, however it’s possible that Slovis is an early candidate for a redshirt, which means it may come down to Daniels or Sears.<doc-sep>USC's QB competition is down to three. Redshirt junior QB Matt Fink has entered the NCAA Transfer Portal, according to multiple reports. ESPN's Kyle Bonagura was first to break the new on Wednesday evening and USCFootball.com publisher Ryan Abraham was able to confirm the move. “It was a tough decision to say the least, but I think it’s best for myself to get the word out that I’m graduating and that I’m able to play for two years," Fink told Bonagura. "I’m looking for a school that fits me and is ready to get the ball rolling.” He also told ESPN that there is a chance that he eventually returns to USC. Fink is officially the eighth Trojan to enter the Transfer Portal since the end of USC's 5-7 2018 season, joining wide receiver Randal Grimes (Minnesota) wide receiver Josh Imatorbhebhe, receiver Trevon Sidney (Illinois), former early enrollee ATH Bru McCoy (Texas), former five-star outside linebacker Oluwole Betiku (Illinois), slot Velus Jones Jr. and cornerback Greg Johnson. Johnson eventually returned to the team several days after entering the Portal. The Los Angeles native had arguably the best spring camp of his career in his attempt to win the starting QB job and the keys to Graham Harrell's new Air Raid offense. USC head coach Clay Helton obviously did not name a starting QB at the end of spring, but told the media he was going to speak with all the quarterbacks individually and inform them as to where they stood after 15 practices. Helton will also release an internal two-deep depth chart this Friday. Fink struggled in the first part of camp but eventually found himself in a nice groove. "Fink when he's high can be really special. You know one thing we talk about with Fink is just being consistent. Fink is really good when he's on and struggles when he's off. If he can be the same guy every play, which he's improved tremendously on," said Harrell in the final week of practice. "You know, I think he's probably the most emotional of all of them and I don't know if he's the most competitive or what, but he gets extremely excited, starts talking noise, which I'm fine with but he can turn negative at times and get himself in trouble...we talk with him about being positive, because when he's positive he's pretty dang good." Assuming Fink doesn't remove his name from the Portal, the Trojans will go into the summer and fall camp with three scholarship QBs: redshirt sophomore Jack Sears, sophomore JT Daniels and early enrollee freshman Kedon Slovis. The returning starter Daniels was the most consistent QB in spring, but Sears, the most athletic QB, made a statement in the final practice. The early enrollee and former three-star prospect Slovis also surprised many people with his play. Fink appeared in seven games over the last two seasons, completing 13-of-18 passes (72.2 percent) for 89 yards and one TD. He also ran for 106 yards on 14 carries (7.6 avg) with one TD. His highlights include his 51-yard TD run against Oregon State in 2017 and filling in amicably for Daniels (concussion) on the road against Utah in 2018. Fink, who suffered broken ribs in relief, went 6-of-7 for 43 yards with a three-yard TD, plus 21 yards on four carries. Those broken ribs likely cost Fink his first career start the following week against Arizona State; USC turned to redshirt freshman Jack Sears, who played well in his debut. Fink was a former three-star prospect out of Glendora High School* in the 2016 class. He was rated the No. 456 overall prospect, the No. 13 dual-threat QB and the No. 54 prospect in California. He was the No. 784 overall prospect and the No. 73 dual-threat QB in the 247Sports rankings. Fink chose USC over offers from Boise State, Colorado, Cal, Kansas, Notre Dame, and Washington State. In his senior season he threw for 1,258 yards for 15 TDs against five interceptions and rushed for 1,106 yards with 17 TDs. "Fink has a good arm and good natural release with excellent mobility, one of the more mobile quarterbacks in the country in this class. He can run the read option well and get out in to the open field," read his 247Sports evaluation out of high school. "He's got good arm strength but needs to improve on his consistency and his accuracy as a passer. Still, the tools are there for a big-time quarterback." Correction: the first version of this story incorrectly identified Fink's alma mater as Glendale High School.<doc-sep>USC quarterback Matt Fink has entered his name into the NCAA transfer portal, Fink’s father, Mike, told the Los Angeles Times on Wednesday. Fink, who will be a redshirt junior next season, spent 2018 as the backup to then-freshman JT Daniels. With a new offensive coordinator and quarterbacks coach in Graham Harrell, USC reopened the quarterback competition during the spring, splitting repetitions evenly among Daniels, Fink, Jack Sears and Kedon Slovis. This week, USC coach Clay Helton and Harrell had conversations with each quarterback to give them an assessment of where they would sit on the depth chart if the season were to start today. Fink left that meeting with news that told him he should pursue other options. “We have nothing but admiration for Clay and feel the same way about Graham,” Mike Fink said. “It’s just that he’s got two years left, and we’re sort of looking at how last season went and, rather than roll the dice and run the risk Matt becomes the backup again, he’s in a good position since he’s going to graduate in June that he won’t have to sit out a year and he’d get two years somewhere. We’re pretty confident he’s a starting quarterback somewhere.” Advertisement Mike Fink said that Matt could decide to return to USC if he does not like the schools who pursue him on the transfer market. Fink played in four games last season, completing seven of nine passes for 46 yards and one touchdown.<doc-sep>
Rick Bowmer/Associated Press USC quarterback Matt Fink will enter the NCAA transfer portal. "It was a tough decision to say the least, but I think it's best for myself to get the word out that I'm graduating and that I'm able to play for two years," Fink told Kyle Bonagura of ESPN.com. "I'm looking for a school that fits me and is ready to get the ball rolling." Fink, who has two years of eligibility remaining, redshirted in 2016 and played behind Sam Darnold and JT Daniels in 2017 and 2018, respectively. He has completed 13 of 18 passes for 86 yards and a touchdown during his USC career. However, Fink clarified to Bonagura that he's not officially taking off just yet. "I'm not fully committed to leaving," Fink said. "It's not like USC doesn't fit me anymore. I just think there might be better opportunities. If there is something out there and it fits me well and they will take me in, that's the place for me." Mike Fink, who is Matt's father, spoke with Brady McCollough of the Los Angeles Times and reiterated similar points as his son while also complimenting USC coaches: Video Play Button Videos you might like The Trojans hired Graham Harrell, who was previously North Texas' offensive coordinator, for the same position at USC. As Bonagura noted, USC head coach Clay Helton said the team would conduct an open competition for the starting quarterback position even with Daniels returning. But Bonagura wrote that Fink didn't appear in the starting picture. "There was no indication over the past several weeks that Fink was in line to unseat Daniels," Bonagura wrote. "The competition also featured redshirt sophomore Jack Sears and early enrollee Kedon Slovis." Adam Maya of TrojanSports.com reported that Fink ended spring camp third on the team's quarterback depth chart behind Daniels and Jack Sears. Still, reports on Fink's spring were positive from numerous sources. Ryan Abraham of USCFootball.com wrote Fink looked "pretty good," and Alicia de Artola of Reign of Troy said she "thought Fink had a good spring." However, De Artola also speculated that the transfer portal decision meant Sears was ahead of Fink coming out of spring camp. The 3-star recruit out of Rancho Cucamonga, California was ranked 13th on 247Sports' list of the top dual quarterbacks in the class of 2016.