Seattle Seahawks quarterback Sam Darnold (14) celebrates with the Vince Lombardi trophy on the podium after defeating the New England Patriots in Super Bowl LX at Levi’s Stadium on Feb 8, 2026.
Former USC quarterback Sam Darnold won the first Super Bowl title of his career on Sunday against the New England Patriots. He went 19-for-38 for 202 yards and a touchdown to lead the Seattle Seahawks to a dominant 29-13 victory over the Patriots.
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Darnold is now the first former USC quarterback to start and win a Super Bowl at the position in program history. Former USC quarterback Willie Wood (1957-1960) won two Super Bowl titles with the Green Bay Packers but played as a safety in the NFL, according to USC Annenberg Media.
In addition to Darnold, Seahawks defensive end Leonard Williams (2012-2014), linebacker Uchenna Nwosu (2014-2017) and defensive tackle Brandon Pili (2017-2022) played for the Trojans before starting their NFL careers.
Darnold Was A Starting Quarterback For USC
Darnold spent three seasons with USC from 2015-17. He entered his freshman season as the No. 3 ranked quarterback in his class but ultimately redshirted the 2015 season. Darnold still contributed to the team and was named USC’s Offensive Service Team Player of the Year that season.
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As a redshirt sophomore in 2016, Darnold was one of the top quarterbacks in the nation. He became the Trojans’ starting quarterback four games into the season and led USC to nine wins in the last 10 games of the season.
Darnold was selected as the 2016 Pac-12 Freshman Offensive Player of the Year and made Football Writers Freshman All-American first team.
In his final season with USC, Darnold led the Trojans to a Rose Bowl championship and was named the Most Valuable Player of the game. He also set a program record with 4,143 passing yards in 2017 before Heisman Trophy winner Caleb Williams passed Darnold with 4,537 passing yards in 2022.
Now, Darnold has won on the biggest stage in football and helped the Seahawks win its second Super Bowl title in franchise history.
Seattle Seahawks quarterback Sam Darnold (14) celebrates with the Vince Lombardi trophy on the podium after defeating the New England Patriots in Super Bowl LX at Levi’s Stadium on Feb 8, 2026.
Photo Credit: Mark J. Rebilas-Imagn Images
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The post Sam Darnold Makes History as First USC Quarterback to Start and Win a Super Bowl appeared first on LA Sports Report.
