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Next season Sam Darnold will be taking his next snaps on Sunday’s in an NFL uniform.
USC redshirt sophomore quarterback announced that he will declare for the NFL draft via his Instragram account Wednesday afternoon.
Through his two years playing for USC, Sam Darnold has already accomplished a lot. Last season he was the spark that the Trojans needed, rallying them from a 1-3 start to a Rose Bowl appearance. Many saw Darnold led the Trojans from a two score deficit in the Rose Bowl Game to win the game against Penn State. This season came in with Heisman hype; however his season was pledged with turnovers and inconsistent play. He still help lead USC to an 11 win season and won the Pac-12 Championship. Through his two years at USC Darnold has thrown for 7,229 yards, 52 touchdowns, and 22 interceptions.
All season there has been debate on whether Darnold should declare for the NFL draft or stay for another year. Following the Cotton Bowl some believed that the redshirt sophomore quarterback would declare while some felt that the loss to Ohio State was a huge indicator that he could use another year back at USC to improve.
Where does this leave USC at quarterback next season? The departure of Sam Darnold makes 5 star quarterback J.T. Daniels decision to reclassify very huge. The Trojans currently have two scholarship quarterbacks on the roster in Matt Fink and Jack Sears. All eyes will be on the quarterback competition when Daniels, Fink, and Sears compete for the starting job. Whoever wins it will have some key weapons to work at receiver, running back, and tight end.