Quarterback coach Steve Clarkson works with 15-year-old David Sills at Venice High School. Clarkson has polished a string of several successful USC quarterbacks including Matt Leinart and Matt Barkley. (Gary Friedman / Los Angeles Times)
Quarterback coach Steve Clarkson tinkers with the arm angle of David Sills, 15. Sills, a freshman at Red Lion Christian Academy in Bear, Del., committed to USC when he was 13 years old. (Gary Friedman / Los Angeles Times)
Quarterback prospect David Sills, decked out in USC gear, watches the Trojans’ spring football practice. (Gary Friedman / Los Angeles Times)
David Sills, 15, has been working with Clarkson as his quarterback coach since he was 10 years old. (Gary Friedman / Los Angeles Times)
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“I don’t know where he learned it, but he knows what’s wrong with it and knows how to correct it,”David Sills says of Steve Clarkson’s ability to smooth out his throwing motion. “I guess that’s the magic touch.” (Gary Friedman / Los Angeles Times)
David Sills was in seventh grade when he received a scholarship offer from USC shortly after Steve Clarkson suggested that Coach Lane Kiffin check out a video of the teenager. (Gary Friedman / Los Angeles Times)
David Sills talks on his cellphone following a workout with Steve Clarkson at Venice High School. (Gary Friedman / Los Angeles Times)
