Pac-12 Media Days: Q&A with USC QB Sam Darnold

HOLLYWOOD, Calif. – Heisman hopeful and probable high first-round NFL Draft pick Sam Darnold sat at Pac-12 Football Media Days and answered a variety of questions for nearly 30 minutes Thursday at the famed Hollywood & Highland Center. Here are the memorable quotes from his media event.

Question: You guys were picked to win the conference this year. There has been a long and bad history of media members picking USC to win the conference and them not winning it. How are you approaching expectations?

Darnold: “Right now we’re just focused on training camp and Western Michigan. At the same time, any expectations anyone from the outside has of us, our expectations are always going to be higher. That’s something special about our team. We’re going to have higher expectations than anyone else.

Question: What did you learn from last year to prepare you for this coming season?

Darnold: I learned a lot. For example, how to deal with media, how to deal with on-the-field situations, good or bad. I’ve learned a lot. There is always more room to grow and I’ll continue to learn as the season goes on.

Question: Is Clay Helton any different now a few seasons in?

Darnold: It’s funny listening to him right now. He doesn’t sound any different then when he was recruiting me when he was the quarterback coach/offensive coordinator. He’ll never change for anyone and that’s the biggest advice he’s given me is to never change and to always stay yourself. With that kind of attitude and with him preaching that to the team, we can go a long way.

Question: What were some of your biggest takeaways from being around Peyton, Eli and Archie Manning at that quarterback camp?

Darnold: I took away a lot but the biggest takeaway there was probably how they treated people off the field and how they carried themselves off the field. They have every right to act like the guy and they act like normal guys and they treat everyone with respect. They won their Super Bowls and Archie had his great moments and Cooper had his success. It’s crazy to be around those guys. I was starstruck at first, but once you get to know them you realize they’re normal guys. They love talking about football, but more importantly how to handle certain situations in life.

Question: I would say Peyton would call himself a quarterback nerd. Would you say you’re that way, too? Do you study other quarterbacks and their tendencies?

Darnold: Yeah, I’m definitely a quarterback nerd. I love playing the position, I love studying the position, definitely will look for advice anywhere I can get it. I have a blast with it and it’s always been fun for me.

Question: Which quarterback do you try to study and model your game after?

Darnold: Tom Brady is a great one to look at just because he’s not known as being the most athletic guy but the way he moves in his pocket and the way he goes about making his reads and going through his progressions, it’s something that I’ve taken away and tried to implement into my game. And then guys like Drew Brees, Russell Wilson, Aaron Rodgers, guys who can move around and make plays.

Question: You weren’t the starter at the beginning of last season. Now people are talking about you being possibly the No. 1 Draft pick. What has this year been like for you?

Darnold: I’ve grown in many ways. Learning how to handle that has been amazing and it’s been a journey. At the same time, with team success comes individual success. I’m not naïve to that. We have to do well as a team. The whole offense has to be on the same page to play well. Cam Smith will say the defense has to be on the same page as well. The leaders of our team have done a great job of leading and then the young guys have done a great job of being hungry to learn. That’s important when you have a college team that wants to win a national championship ultimately.

Question: You’re around so much on magazine covers, on Heisman lists. How do you keep yourself grounded?

Darnold: The best way to do that is to have a close group of friends and a close family as well and really communicating with them, being able to share and simply asking questions, being genuine with them so you can talk about normal stuff. So you can feel like a normal person. You never want to lose that. The moment you lose your connection with your family and your close friends, that’s when you lose yourself.

Question: Where do you think you can improve the most as a player this year?

Darnold: You can always improve a ton in the film room. Other than that, probably just staying in the pocket, not being so anxious to scramble. I know that’s a strength of mine, kind of improvising sometimes. There’s a fine line of staying in the pocket too long as well. Finding that balance and being able to go through my reads and being patient.

Question: Do you feel like you’re the best quarterback in college football?

Darnold: I’m confident for sure but I don’t think that’s really up to me to decide. I’m going to go out there every day and play to the best of my ability but I’m not here to say if I’m the best or not.

Question: Are there any notable alumni you talked to during or after the season?

Darnold: After the Utah loss, I made a quick text to Matt Leinart and he was quick to respond and get back to me and we had a quick conversation. After the Utah loss, we got the team together with no coaches in a meeting and just gained trust with each other. We were really honest and had conversations together. Those conversations are between the players but that was a moment where we realized we could trust each other and trust anything the coaches throw at us.

Question: Referencing Takk McKinley’s tweet about hopefully having someone on the UCLA defensive line knocking you out, do you have any response to that?

Darnold: No.

Question: Where’s your favorite eatery in Los Angeles?

Darnold: The football team? Me and my friends? USC does a great job of catering food for us during camp.

Question: Roscoe’s Chicken and Waffles?

Darnold: They bring that sometimes during camp, every once in a while though. They don’t want us eating fried chicken every day.