Sam Darnold becomes the first University of Souther California quarterback to make the Super Bowl 

There was a time in which the University of Southern California was the most prestigious place to play college football. I’m not saying that it’s not still a top school, but things have changed in college football lately. It’s rich history and tradition of winning brought players from all over the country to sunny LA to represent the Trojans. They had some great quarterbacks along the way, but none of them did what Sam Darnold has done this year in Seattle.

Palmer was the Trojan horse

In his first year as a Seahawk, Sam Darnold has led the Seahawks to their fourth Super Bowl in franchise history. With the win over the Los Angeles Rams in the NFC Championship, Darnold will also become the first USC quarterback to start a Super Bowl when the Seahawks take on the New England Patriots on February 8th.

The Trojans football program has been a launch point for college players to get to the NFL for decades, especially at the quarterback position. There have been 26 quarterbacks drafted out of the University of Southern California, the most of any college in history. None of them have reached the Super Bowl as the starter on Super Sunday.

Guys like Matt Barkley, Mark Sanchez, Carson Palmer, Matt Leinert and most recently Caleb Williams are among a long list of quarterbacks that have played for the Trojans before heading to the NFL. Of that list of QBs, Carson Palmer had the most prolific NFL career. He played for 14 seasons and threw for 46,247 yards, but never got close to starting a Super Bowl game. Williams wasn’t far in his second year, crashing out in the Divisional Round after an overtime loss to the Los Angeles Rams.

Darnold’s renaissance

Darnold didn’t explode on to the scene like Williams in Chicago. He was drafted third overall in the 2018 NFL Draft after a brilliant couple of years at USC. The New York Jets took him with their first pick that year, but he lasted just three seasons before being discarded and shipped off to Carolina. He played 17 games over two seasons with the Panthers, but was eventually let go.

After a year backing up Brock Purdy in San Francisco, the Minnesota Vikings signed him and because their then rookie QB J.J. McCarthy suffered a season ending injury in preseason Darnold was named the QB1. He revived his career with a 14-3 season in which he passed for a career high 4,319 yards and 35 TDs.

The Vikings let him walk in the offseason and Seattle came knocking on his door. Now, Darnold has a chance to complete the comeback story with a win over the New England Patriots on Sunday, February 8th from Levi’s Stadium.

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