Seahawks Quarterback Sam Darnold Will Make History in Super Bowl LX

Regardless of the eventual outcome, Sam Darnold will make history simply by stepping foot on the field for the Seattle Seahawks' first offensive snap in Super Bowl LX tonight.

Darnold, who has the Seahawks one win away from a title in the first season of the three-year, $105 million contract he signed last spring, will be the first USC quarterback to start in a Super Bowl. That sounds hard to believe, given the stature of the Trojan program, but it's true.

Sam is the USC's man, finally

Many USC alums have experienced glory on the Super Bowl stage, but none of them have done so as a starting quarterback. Several Trojans have made it to Super Sunday as backup signal callers, some, like Rob Johnson with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in Super Bowl XXXVII and Mike Rae with the Oakland Raiders in Super Bowl XI, even winning rings for their efforts.

But until Darnold, no Men of Troy has taken the field at the Super Bowl as QB1.

“For him to represent all of us, not just quarterbacks, but all the Trojan family, we’re fired up," said former USC quarterback Matt Leinart, who reached the Super Bowl as a backup with the Arizona Cardinals, via the Los Angeles Times.

If the Seahawks win tonight, Darnold stands a good chance of being Super Bowl MVP, an honor that has gone to three Trojans in the past. Wide receiver Lynn Swann was MVP of Super Bowl X for the Pittsburgh Steelers, with running back Marcus Allen winning the award with the Los Angeles Raiders in Super Bowl XVIII.

Last but not least, linebacker Malcolm Smith won Super Bowl MVP when the Seahawks won their first championship 12 years ago.

A long journey to this moment

The No. 3 overall pick in the 2018 draft for the New York Jets, Darnold failed to find his footing in three seasons in New York before being traded to the Carolina Panthers.

He languished in Carolina for two seasons before spending 2023 as the backup to Brock Purdy in San Francisco, where he reached the Super Bowl in a reserve role.

After a resurgent 2024 season in Minnesota, Darnold hit free agency again, signing with the Seahawks, where he passed for 4,048 yards, 25 touchdowns and 14 interceptions in the regular season and has thrown for 470 yards and four scores in two playoff games.

“Sam’s just been so resilient,” Seattle head coach Mike Macdonald said, via The Athletic. “He’s so steadfast in his approach. I think he’s confident in who he is. I think he understands how much his team believes in him and has his back. So just keep, keep firing away, man. You know, keep being you, go to the next play. He’s the same guy after he has a perfect passer rating, and not strutting around like he just solved all the world’s problems.”

We'll see if Darnold can reach the mountain top in Santa Clara Sunday.