Sam Darnold declares for the NFL Draft
By Kareem Gantt
USC’s Sam Darnold is officially moving on to the NFL.
In a move done more often these days by college players, USC’s Sam Darnold is taking his talents to the NFL.
He made the announcement via his Instagram page, posting a video announcing his intention to declare for the NFL Draft. He didn’t come to the decision lightly, as he talked to his family, friends, and other important figures before making the decision to head for the NFL.
Darnold was a star at San Clemente High School, excelling in both football and basketball. In 2015, he was considered a four-star recruit by Rivals.com, and after receiving scholarship offers from Northwestern, Duke, Oregon, Utah, and USC, Darnold chose to stay close to home and attend USC.
He redshirted his first year, but once he was eligible to play in the 2016 season, he showed why he was such a highly recruited QB. He quickly won over the starting job, and in his first season as a starter, he threw for 3,086 yards with 31 touchdown passes against nine interceptions.
Darnold led the Trojans to the Rose Bowl for the first time in eight years, where they out-gunned Penn State 52-49, sending notice to the rest of the college football world that the USC Trojans were back.
Darnold offered up a repeat performance of his stellar ’16 season with 4,143 yards passing this season, and though he threw for five fewer touchdown passes and was picked four more times, he still displayed the same skill set that made him a highly touted recruit. He led the Trojans to the Cotton Bowl, where the Ohio State Buckeyes defense clamped down Darnold and the Trojans offense in a 24-7 loss.
That shouldn’t dent his prospects for the NFL. The Cleveland Browns, New York Jets and Arizona Cardinals are all in need of a QB, and Darnold should be on the board for all of those teams.