After USC’s poor performance in the Cotton Bowl, returning to school is the choice Sam Darnold should make.
It’s been a tale of two seasons in crimson for Sam Darnold. Last year at this time, he was the talk of college football and would have been a guaranteed lock to be the top pick if he was draft eligible. This time around, things are a bit different.
The draft status is up in the air for Darnold, as he still thinks over his decision. If he comes out, a high pick awaits him. However, it won’t come with the narrative that followed him after USC’s Rose Bowl victory a year ago.
Instead, Darnold finishes this campaign with question marks abound. For much of the game against the Buckeyes, he was slinging some beautiful passes down the field in a struggle of a game.
However, the ugly qualities that have followed him all year continued to remain the ghost of Christmas Past during this holiday week. They were the ghost of Christmas Present during, and unless he makes the right choice here soon, they will be the ghost of Christmas Future.
In Ohio State’s 24-7 victory in Arlington, Darnold’s flaws and successes all came to light at once. He made some beautiful reads looking down the field and put the ball in spots that not many else can.
He also threw a terrible pick-six and seemingly fumbled the ball every time he was hit. The fumbles have more so been a problem than the interceptions, but he clearly is far from the polished product once thought a year ago.
To his defense, poor offensive line play can change things drastically and he often didn’t have much help in front of him in the Cotton Bowl. So now comes the big decision on whether or not to return to school or opt for the draft.
If he chooses to go to the NFL and earn his money and a chance at being the next great quarterback, no one should blame him. He’s earned his right to get his and would certainly be a top pick regardless of his struggles this year.
However, from purely a football standpoint, the right move is to return to USC. Another year of seasoning and being under center for Darnold would give him all the time to work on fixing those mistakes.
He’s going to continue to improve as he matures as a passer and being in the same system for another year would certainly help him develop. Consider that USC quarterbacks in the past have stayed on for another year, such as Matt Leinart and Matt Barkley.
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While the respective professional careers of those two is another topic, USC quarterbacks have a recent trend of staying. With the way Darnold can pass the football, he shouldn’t worry about his draft stock drastically falling if he returns.
The nature of the position he plays is going to make him a top pick when he does decide to come out. Right now, the Cleveland Browns are on the clock and will have their pick of quarterbacks. Whether Darnold is there for them will be up to him.