To the surprise of almost no one, Clay Helton has taken the safe route at the most important position on the field.
Redshirt junior Max Browne and redshirt freshman Sam Darnold have been engaged in a back-and-forth quarterback competition that began in spring practice and continued on into summer camp. With the opener against Alabama exactly two weeks away, Helton has followed through on his previously-stated timeline, announcing Saturday that Browne will start for the Trojans when they take the field against the Tide in Arlington, Texas.OFFICIAL: @USCCoachHelton names @MaxBrowne4 the USC starting quarterback. #AllAboutBall pic.twitter.com/sTz32U6ecT
— USC Trojans (@USC_Athletics) August 20, 2016
The last two seasons as Cody Kessler’s primary backup, the redshirt junior Browne completed 11-of-19 passes for 143 yards. Darnold, meanwhile, was a four-star dual-threat quarterback in the Class of 2015 who took a redshirt as a true freshman last season.
It should be noted that some observers felt that Darnold had actually earned the starting job, but Helton felt it more prudent, at least for the time being, to go with the more experienced Browne. There had also been speculation that Browne would transfer is he wasn’t named the starter.