Take Two: Should USC's Darnold stay or should he go to the NFL?

Take Two returns with a daily offering tackling a handful of issues in the college football landscape. Rivals.com National Recruiting Analyst Adam Gorney lays out the situation and then receives takes from Rivals.com National Recruiting Director Mike Farrell and an expert from the Rivals.com network.

RELATED: NFL Draft Stock Report - QBs | Take Two - Lamar Jackson/Heisman talk

Sam Darnold is still regarded as one of the top quarterbacks available for the NFL Draft, but there is some discussion that he’s seriously considering a return to USC next season.

So which should it be?

After a stellar season a year ago when he took over for Max Browne and a struggling USC squad to lead the Trojans to a Rose Bowl victory over Penn State, Darnold has had an up-and-down season this year, one filled with outstanding throws but also an abundance of turnovers.

USC is 10-2. It will play for a Pac-12 championship. However, Darnold is only completing about 63 percent of his passes with 3,462 yards, 24 touchdowns and 12 interceptions. Those 12 picks are what concerns people, along with his fumbles, which could be an issue as well.

Has Darnold’s stock fallen? Has it plummeted in the eyes of NFL general managers and scouts? All those evaluations could still be premature, but there are definitely issues with Darnold - and every other quarterback available in the draft.

With UCLA’s Josh Rosen, Louisville’s Lamar Jackson, Wyoming’s Josh Allen, Oklahoma’s Baker Mayfield, Oklahoma State’s Mason Rudolph and others available at a loaded position in the NFL Draft, where does Darnold land? And do some turnover concerns mean the former San Clemente, Calif., star returns for another season with the Trojans?

“If I was advising Sam Darnold, I would tell him to follow his heart. Maybe he loves college and just wants to be at USC. If that’s the case, he should return to school. But if we’re discussing future finances and draft position, I have a different stance. If that’s the conversation, I would advise him to leave for the NFL after this season.

“I would only advise him to return to USC if I thought his draft stock was dramatically impacted by this year. I don’t believe that’s the case. So if I was assessing the best decision for someone in a dangerous career, I would advise him to start getting paid. I just don’t see many reason to return to USC, unless it’s a personal preference.

“Quarterbacks are in an incredibly high demand and it seems pretty certain to me that Darnold will be a high draft pick this year. There’s no questions about his ability or ceiling; the question is whether or not he’s seasoned enough for the NFL. An NFL franchise will gladly spend a high pick on him, coach him up and wait for him to be ready. So I don’t believe leaving this year risks potential future earnings, especially when compared to the potential risks of returning.

“I also feel like leaving USC would help Darnold’s game. Immediate NFL coaching and competition would help his development more than another year of college. It’s fair to assume that the coaching will be better in the NFL. It’s also fair to assume that in the NFL, he’ll be throwing against better defensive backs in practice and dealing with a more intense pass rush. So I don’t buy into the argument that he should return to USC to mature more. I believe that’ll happen faster at the next level. There’s also no guarantee that another year at USC would improve his draft stock. Returning is just risky; there’s no way around it.” – Swanson

“If he’s projected to be a top-10 pick, he should come out. That’s guaranteed money and those dollars can set you up for the rest of your life. There would be no reason to come back. Andrew Luck came back, but Stanford is a different situation.

“Darnold turns the ball over too much, and that’s a problem. People keep grasping for straws at what he does well, but he’s not having a good season. Now they’re focusing on his mobility, because he has rushing touchdowns in the last two games. That’s not his game, and he would get destroyed in the NFL running around.

“It’s one of those things where we don’t know what NFL general managers and scouts are thinking. He might be a guy that they rate right now as a second-rounder. We don’t know. Until we get that evaluation from the NFL that says, 'This is where you’re projected to go,’ we just don’t know. If he’s projected in the top 10, he should come out.”