Max Browne has been named the starting quarterback for the USC Trojans by head coach Clay Helton in their Week 1 game against the Alabama Crimson Tide.
With last year’s starting quarterback in Cody Kessler playing for the NFL’s Cleveland Browns this upcoming season, USC Trojans head coach Clay Helton had his first big decision to make as the full-time leader of the USC football program: name a starter for Week 1’s neutral site game versus the SEC powerhouse Alabama Crimson Tide. Helton went with Max Browne over Sam Darnold as his starting quarterback.
OFFICIAL: @USCCoachHelton names @MaxBrowne4 the USC starting quarterback. #AllAboutBall pic.twitter.com/sTz32U6ecT
— USC Trojans (@USC_Athletics) August 20, 2016
Helton was originally going to name his guy on Sunday, but after a solid practice session on Friday decided to give the USC football faithful good news a day early. While Browne did split time with Kessler in year’s past at quarterback, Helton is reluctant to split snaps at the quarterback position this season.
USC is on the rebound as a program after a series of questionable head coaching hires by former athletic director Pat Haden since Pete Carroll’s swift departure to the NFL’s Seattle Seahawks several years ago.
While Helton seems to have the support of most importantly the players themselves, he likely will be on a short leash in the eyes of new USC athletic director in former Trojans and Pittsburgh Steelers Hall of Fame wide receiver Lynn Swann.
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Swann didn’t promote Helton from top assistant after the fall out of the Steve Sarkisian era of Trojan football. For that reason, Swann could be quick to pull the rug out from Helton should things go south for the Trojans this fall. USC does have a brutal Pac-12 slate and their non-conference games against Alabama and rival independent Notre Dame don’t help in the slightest.
Helton has hitched the early part of his USC head coaching legacy to Browne at quarterback. Should he succeed under center with all the playmakers he’ll have at his disposal, Browne and Helton could be instrumental parts in USC’s turnaround to national relevance once again.