(photo credit: Nick Hamilton)
Sam Darnold is giving you the best him this season
by Nick Hamilton (@NickHamiltonLA)
Entering his second season at quarterback for the USC Trojans, Sam Darnold has learned many things in the off season that will enable to succeed in the Pac-12.
After a 1-3 start in 2016, and head coach Clay Helton made a bold move at quarterback giving young Darnold the opportunity to lead the team in another direction. With the proper father like coaching from coach Helton and a text out to Heisman Trophy winner Matt Leinart, the Utah loss was a distant memory for the young Darnold. For Helton and USC, the Darnold experiment worked as the Trojans remained undefeated up unto the Rose Bowl. His tenacity, his level of ‘fight on’ approach to every game led them to a stunning win over Penn State in an epic Rose Bowl game.
Darnold’s play sent not only college football, but NFL teams in a frenzy. Everyone who was anyone wanted to be apart of the Darnold experience. He became the man, and still is, yet he made sure to always be the best him on and off the field. A lesson he learned from coach Helton, but also witnessed from NFL royalty (Peyton, Eli, Archie and Cooper Manning) when he attended the Manning Camp a few months ago.
Depite the national praise coming from coaches, fans and media analyst, Darnold remains focused and eager to take the field in Training Camp as prepare for Western Michigan. With a Mamba-like mentality, he truly understands what could be at stake for his Trojans this season.
“A national championship, that’s our ultimate goal,” Darnold said. “We can’t do that without winning the (Pac-12) South and winning the Pac-12.”
With the Trojans favored to win the Pac-12 South and the conference possibly, Darnold will elect to let his play speak volumes for him.
“I’ve grown in many ways, and learning how to handle that, it’s been amazing. It’s been a journey,” Darnold said. “At the same time, with team success comes individual success. I’m not naïve to that, so we have to do well as a team.”
The Pac-12 are loaded with many teams (Washington, Oregon, UCLA, Stanford) trying to take a bite out of the destined for greatness quarterback Sam Darnold.
If he takes the Heisman Trophy this coming season, Darnold will have a big decision to make this spring. Will he continue his college football campaign at USC or take his talents to play on Sundays in the NFL?
He definitely has the skill set to continue set the power 5 conference on fire. With quarterbacks like Russell Wilson, Tom Brady, Aaron Rodgers, Drew Brees whom Darnold studies and looks up too, it’s only a matter of time before we could a combo of all of these quarterbacks in him.