LOS ANGELES — Taylor Mays occasionally receives photos of shiny new cars with ostentatious rims, and he sometimes hears tales of landscaped McMansions in faraway suburbs. His former Southern California teammates haven’t stopped tweaking and critiquing his decision to stay behind.

“Cush is the worst,” Mays says of ex-Trojans linebacker Brian Cushing, his former roommate and the Houston Texans’ first-round draft pick. “He just bought a nice house and a Porsche Cayenne. He sent me pictures. I’m like, where’s mine? He still owes me money, too.”
But the NFL rookie lifestyle can wait a few more months. Mays still has a few things to do before he leaves L.A.
The All-American safety surprised even himself last spring when he returned to USC for his senior season. A near-certain first-round pick who always figured he would be a three-and-done Trojan, Mays instead chose to do his part to keep USC at the sport’s pinnacle for another year.
“The NFL is always going to be there, but your senior season isn’t always going to be,” Mays said. “I’ll have a chance to put that last, final stamp on everything. USC is more than just me. It’s about leaving something for the guys who come behind you.”
Mays is more than a defensive standout for the No. 4 Trojans, who are favored to win their eighth straight Pac-10 title. He has become the face of the West Coast’s marquee program, adorning the cover of the media guide and spurring talk of a Heisman Trophy run with his highlight-reel hits and a new attention to interceptions.
Mays carries major responsibilities this season for the Trojans, who have little time to get their rebuilding project together before a Sept. 12 trip to face No. 6 Ohio State.
Despite three new starting linebackers and a revamped line, USC’s defense must be outstanding this fall to assuage the growing pains of a rebuilt offense with a new quarterback who still hasn’t been chosen. Aaron Corp and freshman Matt Barkley are in a tight competition, and coach Pete Carroll probably won’t decide until after Saturday’s scrimmage at the Coliseum.
In a program built on the steady leadership of Carson Palmer, Matt Leinart and Mark Sanchez, Mays is the most important leader in uniform this fall — and if USC’s fortunes ride on Mays and his defensive teammates, that’s exactly how he wants it. After all, that’s why he’s still here.
“I would love to leave something with this program to remember,” Mays said. “With the standards we have at SC, that’s got to be a national championship. We’re going to work hard every day to get there, but I wanted another chance to do that. It’s important to me.”
Mays is the Trojans’ highest-profile holdover since Leinart, who also postponed NFL riches for another run at the national title. Both players also love the USC experience, with its picture-perfect weather, exciting campus life and remarkable connections to Hollywood and other industries.
While his former teammates sweated through training camp and whiled away their free time in Cincinnati or Green Bay, Mays filmed funny YouTube videos with the USC Song Girls, dated a Trojans volleyball player and went to the beach.
The Seattle native also didn’t have many players’ financial impetus to go pro: His father, a former NFL lineman, is a manager at Microsoft, while his mother is an executive at Nordstrom.
“Everybody who knows me well is glad that I came back,” Mays said. “We talked about it every day for two months, just back and forth, but I know I made the right decision, even before we start playing.”
Carroll famously wasn’t thrilled by Sanchez’s decision to leave USC last spring. He says he would have supported Mays’ departure, but Mays’ decision made the entire coaching staff’s life much easier, given his unimpeachable example in the weight room and the meeting room.
“I know Taylor, so I wasn’t surprised at all,” Carroll said. “He was unflappable. He did a great job of understanding what was important to him and what he wanted to do, what legacy he wanted to leave at USC. I admire him for grasping that and doing what he thought was right. It’s more than a program to him.”
Mays is considered the fastest player on a speedy team, but he’s also a musclebound hitter who strives to emulate Sean Taylor, the late Redskins and University of Miami star whose jersey and framed photo are in Mays’ room.
After making just four interceptions in his first three seasons, Mays will be going after the ball more aggressively, and his role on defense has been altered slightly to provide more opportunities to do so. If ball awareness was among Mays’ few perceived weaknesses, he realizes staying in school provided him with another year to study.
“You can be the best defensive player in the country and make all the big plays and all the tackles, and nobody knows about you,” Mays said. “But if you get one touchdown on an interception, everybody loves you. ... I just want to show everything that I can do, every aspect of my game, while helping us win.”