Five-star quarterback Matt Corral, who is expected to be an early enrollee at USC in January 2018, says he is settling in nicely at Long Beach Poly after a very public withdrawal last month from Oaks Christian.
USC 5-star QB commit Matt Corral also throwing at @TheOpening pic.twitter.com/V8mOGmS1ok
— Brandon Huffman (@BrandonHuffman) March 12, 2017
“I’m really happy at Poly,” Corral told USA TODAY High School Sports before competing at Nike’s The Opening and Elite 11 quarterback competition Sunday at El Camino College on Sunday. “They took me in as family as soon as I stepped into the weight room. I love it.”
The circumstances surrounding the 6-2, 185-pounder’s exit from Oaks Christian are still murky.
When Corral, who was a three-year starter for the Lions, left the school, he tweeted, “I did not get expelled, nor did I punch anyone. I ran into problems at a school that is biased towards money. So if you have a lot of it, you run the school. No matter what the situation is. No matter what I say, I am wrong.”
After deleting that tweet, Corral tweeted, “Leaving Oaks Christian is something that my family thought was the right thing to do. I am sorry if I offended anyone.”
He declined to discuss the circumstances of his departure on Sunday.
Corral said that he’s moving on, having learned a valuable lesson.
“Probably the biggest thing I learned is not everyone is for you,” said Corral, who is ranked as 247sports.com’s No. 2 pro-style quarterback prospect in his class. “I’ve learned who’s there for you no matter what versus just when you’re doing well.”
Corral said he talked to USC head coach Clay Helton and quarterbacks coach Tyson Helton earlier this week to explain the situation that led to his withdrawal from Oaks Christian.
“First, they asked how I was,” said Corral. “They then said they were going to talk to me like I’m already a part of the Trojan family and repeat ‘really how are you?’ I really felt a connection, because they were talking to me man-to-man, not like recruiter to a player. You could tell they cared.”
Corral said he was eager to show off his talents to earn an invitation to the Elite 11 finals in June in Los Angeles. The day ended without an invitation, although he could be selected later on.
Two quarterbacks were invited out of Sunday’s event: Dorian Thompson-Robinson from Bishop Gorman (Las Vegas) and Utah commit Jack Tuttle from Mission Hills (Calif.)
“Aside from getting a scholarship, one my goals in high school was to get to the Elite 11,” Corral said. “I know the invitation is not given, it’s earned. I’ve been training hard on my arm and footwork in the pocket.”
Corral added, “All of this work will help me get ready for my senior season. I’m spending a lot of time with the Poly coaches on my X’s and O’s and I’m looking forward to the fall.”
#USC commit Matt Corral heating up at @Elite11 LA: https://t.co/oOlSwA0t8U pic.twitter.com/pgNbHzGjy0
— Steve Wiltfong (@SWiltfong247) March 12, 2017
