Considering his outstanding performance in the 2017 Rose Bowl, Sam Darnold was bound to have a load of hype dropped on his head this offseason.
In fact, the Darnold hype train was already accelerating out of the station during the 2016 regular season as the quarterback helped USC break out of a 1-3 slump to start the season. With his dynamic playmaking ability sparking the Trojan offense, USC ripped off a winning streak that would extend to nine games.
Nearly three months into the offseason, the San Clemente product isn’t just a Heisman favorite — he’s The Heisman Favorite, as crowned by Bovada earlier this week.