For the first time in two years, Sam Darnold will not be under center for USC football.
Darnold is projected by many — including Sporting News — as the potential No. 1 pick in the 2018 NFL Draft, and leaves a massive hole at quarterback for the Trojans. Whoever takes the position over will have some big shoes to fill for a team that now has College Football Playoff aspirations.
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Enter Matt Fink, Jack Sears and JT Daniels. Those three are most likely to assume the mantle of USC quarterback in 2018, but each will have their work cut to win the position.
Sporting News is breaking down intriguing quarterback battles ahead of the 2018 season — today, we take a look at USC:
USC QB competition
Who's out?
Sam Darnold. The two-year starter is gone from USC, and he took his 7,229 career passing yards, 57 touchdowns and 20-4 record with him. Darnold may have fallen off in 2017 compared to his breakout campaign the year prior, but his play-making ability and throwing accuracy will be missed in 2018.
Who's in?
Matt Fink. The redshirt-sophomore is the only quarterback on the roster to have thrown a pass in a Trojans uniform, completing 6 of 9 passes for 43 yards in 2017. Fink, the No. 13 dual-threat quarterback in the Class os 2016, also rushed seven times for 82 yards and a touchdown last season. He has an athleticism that might give him an edge in this race, though he's the most limited passer among the three contenders.
Jack Sears. The No. 4 pro-style quarterback and No. 104 overall high school prospect in the 2017 recruiting class, Sears redshirted last season to learn the offense and glean what he could from Darnold. He has a higher upside than Fink, but has shown a tendency in practice to turn the ball over.
JT Daniels. Daniels, the No. 2 pro-style quarterback and No. 16 overall recruit, is a key component of the Trojans' 2018 recruiting class that ranked fourth nationally and first in the Pac-12. The future is bright for Daniels, but he has a lot of ground to cover between him and his fellow competitors: He won't arrive on campus until the fall.
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What makes this battle unique?
USC will have to replace Darnold, likely one of the top three picks of the draft, with a player who hasn't taken a meaningful snap since high school. Whoever takes over will need time to get into a rhythm; unfortunately for the Trojans, they face Stanford, Texas and Washington State (in a Friday night matchup) in Weeks 2-4, respectively. USC won't have the benefit of figuring things out at a leisurely pace.
Three more questions
1. How do QBs play under new coach?
Tyson Helton was the Trojans' quarterbacks coach and passing came coordinator in 2016 and '17, but is now the offensive coordinator at Tennessee. Bryan Ellis, a quality control assistant in 2017, has now taken the position over. He has worked with prolific offenses before at Western Kentucky, but it will be interesting to see how the quarterbacks play under his instruction.
2. Does Amon-Ra St. Brown play a role?
Wide receiver Amon-Ra St. Brown, the No. 2 player at his position and No. 11 player overall in the Class of 2018, has the talent to work into the Trojans' receiving corps immediately. He also happens to be the high school teammate of Daniels. The two should have already developed timing and communication from their high school playing days; but would that be enough for Daniels to earn the starting position?
3. How will offense cope with loss of starters?
Darnold is USC's biggest loss, but he's not the only departing starter. The Trojans also lose running back Ronald Jones II, receivers Deontay Burnett and Joseph Lewis (for the foreseeable future), as well as two offensive linemen in Nico Falah and Viane Talamaivao. Considering all the starters who need to be replaced, the sooner the Trojans can figure out the QB competition, the better.
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Stats that matter
Here's a look at Darnold's stats from the last two seasons:
| Year | Att. | Comp. | Yards | TDs | INTs |
| 2016 | 246 | 366 | 3,086 | 31 | 9 |
| 2017 | 303 | 480 | 4,143 | 26 | 13 |
| Overall | 549 | 846 | 7,229 | 57 | 22 |
A mere glimpse of Darnold's stats from the last two years shows how big an impact he had on the offense. Apart from completing nearly 550 career passes, Darnold also boasted a 64.9 completion percentage and 153.7 quarterback rating. Something else to note: Not only is this the second quarterback battle for Clay Helton at USC, it's also the second time he has to break in an entirely new starter at the position. The last time that happened, Darnold replaced Max Browne three games into the 2016 season. Will it play out similarly in 2018?
Who wins?
Early reports from USC's spring training suggest Fink and Sears are both making headway in the race, though it's unlikely Helton will pick a starter until fall camp, when Daniels arrives and can start competing. As for now, we'll go with the Fink, the most experienced quarterback on the roster. He has two years' worth of knowledge of USC's offense — and two years to observe Darnold. For now, that's enough to give him the early lead.
