USHERING IN NEW ERAS WAIT OFF THEIR SHOULDERS IT'S FINALLY TIME FOR BOOTY TO EMERGE FROM SHADOWS.

Byline: MATTHEW KREDELL Staff Writer

John David Booty watched intently from the sidelines at spring practice in 2003 as USC quarterbacks Matt Leinart and Matt Cassel made their throws.

With each misplaced ball and poor read, Booty remembered the words of then-offensive coordinator Norm Chow: He could start for the Trojans right away.

No senior year of high school. No need to go through the recruiting process. One of the most respected quarterback gurus in the game saying he could move right in to replace Heisman Trophy winner Carson Palmer.

Three years later, Booty began fall practice Thursday still waiting for that first start.

The next few months will determine whether Booty's unprecedented decision to skip his senior year of high school for college football damaged a promising career or works out in the long run.

``It's there for the taking,'' Booty said. ``I'm getting my opportunity, and that's all you can ask for. The last three years have gone so fast, though there were times when a day seemed like it lasted forever. I'm sure these next two years will be like that, too.''

Booty didn't become the first known high school football player to forego his senior season with the expectation of sitting on the bench for three years. But no one knew at the time that Leinart, considered third on the depth chart entering that spring in 2003, would turn into one of the greatest college quarterbacks of all time.

``It was tough on him,'' said John David's brother, Josh, a former LSU quarterback who was drafted in the seventh round by the NFL's Seattle Seahawks. ``He loved his teammates and loved that they were winning. But the guys he came in with -- like Reggie (Bush) and LenDale (White) -- were playing, and he was not. He was bummed at times, just not feeling excited. It's hard to feel excited when you're not playing, especially when you could be at any other university and starting for sure.''

One of the days that seemed to last forever was Jan. 14, 2005. That's when Leinart stepped up to a podium in Heritage Hall and announced that, despite the possibility of being the top overall NFL draft pick after winning two national championships and a Heisman Trophy, he would return to USC for his fifth and final year of eligibility.

It was as if Booty was about to cross the finish line, only to find out he had to run another lap.

At the time of Leinart's decision, Sports Illustrated was putting together a story on Booty taking over the most talented team in the country, the next in the line of great Trojans quarterbacks. It was all put on hold.

That was the only time Booty thought about transferring. He talked to his brother about the possibilities -- perhaps LSU or Florida. But he would have to sit out a year to go to any Division I school, and he wasn't about to go D-II. In that time, Leinart would be done and he would have his chance at USC.

``If he could have gone and played right away somewhere, that would have changed everything,'' Josh Booty said.

But John David loved USC -- the school, the beach nearby, the coaches, his teammates. It would have been difficult for him to leave.

He earned the respect of his peers by never complaining about his lack of playing time or acting as though he were entitled, neither publicly to the media nor privately to the team.

``He didn't want to bring the team down by pouting,'' receiver Steve Smith said. ``That just makes us appreciate him more as a leader for what he's been through.''

Booty's life took a sharp turn in the spring of 2003 when his father, Johnny, was fired as quarterbacks coach at Evangel Christian Academy in Shreveport, La. John David, who had led the school to two consecutive Class 5A state titles, decided he wouldn't return without his father.

Booty was expected to be the top quarterback in most recruiting publications and Web sites. He was the best player from a family of athletes. Another brother, Abram, was a standout receiver for LSU. Johnny also played quarterback in college.

Before those recruiting rankings came out, Booty committed to USC in March 2003. He had been leaning toward Miami until the top quarterback of the previous class, Kyle Wright, signed with the Hurricanes over USC in February.

Josh had been working out in Orange County, trying to get back into the NFL. He knew Chow, who had tried to recruit him to Brigham Young in 1993. He urged John David to consider USC.

John David saw greatness on the horizon for the team that had just signed what many considered the top freshman class in the nation. He was thinking of transferring to Mission Viejo to finish high school close to his brother and future college. But Chow planted the seed, and it had been growing in his head:

He could start at USC right away.

He checked on his academic status and found out it was a possibility. He could finish his high school degree over the summer and be at USC in the fall.

He arrived at USC full of bravado, expecting to compete for the starting job. It wasn't much of a battle. Coming in four weeks before the season started, Booty was at a huge disadvantage. He needed to learn the offense and get used to the collegiate level. Coming from a high school offense that he ran out of the shotgun, he needed a lot of work.

``Physically, he had the chance to start,'' said Chow, now offensive coordinator with the Tennessee Titans. ``Obviously, he had to work through a lot of other issues, mentally and all that stuff.''

Booty didn't take Chow's words as a promise or guarantee. He knew he would have to earn playing time. The way Leinart was playing, winning a share of the national title by beating Michigan in the Rose Bowl, Booty couldn't complain.

``I think the beauty of having big brothers who have been there at least prepared him,'' Johnny Booty said. ``Some guys come in with a lot of hype and don't know the reality of it all. John David is a realist. He knew he had to earn his stripes, and that it might take a couple years.''

The wait, as difficult as it was, might benefit John David. He got the opportunity to observe Leinart, how he controlled the game, his poise in crucial situations and the way he limited mistakes.

He got game experience, last season, even if it was in garbage time, throwing for 327 yards and the first three touchdowns of his career.

And he recovered from a chronic back injury, which hasn't bothered him since surgery, that kept him out for most of spring practice.

``It was a big jump for me, and I wasn't ready,'' Booty said of the move to college. ``(The three-year wait) gave me time to get settled down. A lot of stuff had happened in my life, and it was really quick. I didn't want to put myself out there when I couldn't be the best player I could be.''

If Booty doesn't succeed, redshirt freshman Mark Sanchez is waiting. Booty won't be allowed any hiccups. Despite the losses of Leinart, Bush and others, expectations are high for USC, which is tied for third in the nation in the preseason coaches' poll.

Booty is listed as a 20-to-1 shot to claim the Trojans' third consecutive Heisman Trophy, astonishing odds for a player yet to start a college game.

``He's more of a cross between (Palmer and Leinart),'' USC quarterbacks coach Steve Sarkisian said. ``I think he might throw the ball better than Matt, but I don't know if the game comes to him as easy as it did for Matt.''

Booty's ability to throw an accurate deep ball should create a more dangerous vertical game.

``I'm not taking anything away from Leinart, but I'm excited about Booty,'' Smith said. ``I think there will be a lot of opportunities for the team to make some big-time plays downfield this year in comparison to last year, when Reggie was making most of the big-time plays.''

If Booty doesn't meet expectations, his decision to leave high school early will be scrutinized. Maybe, if he stayed for his senior year, he would have seen that Leinart was established at USC and done better elsewhere.

It could go down as another costly decision in the Booty family. Josh signed with LSU out of high school, but then decided to focus on baseball when the Florida Marlins made him the fifth overall pick in the 1994 amateur draft. After failing to make it in baseball, he went back to football in 1999, starting for two seasons at LSU. He was a backup with the Cleveland Browns until 2003, but never attempted a pass in a regular-season game.

Now 31, Josh works for a title insurance company in Irvine.

``If he had gone to LSU straight out of high school, he would have

had a lot more time and been more of a prospect,'' John David said of Josh. ``There's no doubt about that. I think that had a lot to do with it.''

If he performs well in USC's pro-style offense, John David shouldn't have such a problem in the NFL. Carroll said he is counting on the transition from Leinart to Booty being as smooth as the one from Palmer to Leinart.

The coaching staff will test him in fall practice by putting him up against the No. 1 defense as much as possible to prepare for that first start, Sept. 2 at Arkansas.

``He's going to be fine,'' Carroll said. ``I'm not worried about him. We just need to get everything around him ready, and I think he's going to do his part.''

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CAPTION(S):

3 photos, box

Photo:

(1 -- color) JOHN DAVID BOOTY

(2 -- color) Arizona Cardinals' Matt Leinart

Paul Spinelli/Getty Images

(3) USC coach Pete Carroll, left, watches John David Booty throw during the first day of fall practice.

Nick Ut/Associated Press

Box:

BIG SHOES TO FILL