The Season of Sam (Darnold)

How belief, patience, and curiosity shaped Sam Darnold

Feb 01, 2026

“Hey, Trent,” I said quietly, nodding toward the field. “Doesn’t he remind you of Andrew Luck?”

Super Bowl Champion Trent Dilfer smiled and nodded.

We kept watching.

It was a spring weekend in San Francisco, over a decade ago, at an Elite 11 regional camp. A three-star recruit from San Clemente High School had just taken the field. He’d played linebacker and wide receiver in high school and now was a starting high school quarterback in Southern California.

His name: Sam Darnold.

Sam arrived that day with minimal fanfare, but real anticipation. And within about 30 minutes, it was obvious: this was his show to steal.

He did exactly that. Sam earned his way to the Elite 11 Finals, and from that moment on, I began to understand where he came from.

San Clemente, California.

They had a phrase there: One town. One team.

In Southern California, it’s rare to find communities that feel rooted in the way mine did growing up in Pennsylvania. While there was no beach or palm trees in PA, there was commitment, teamwork and grit. Essentially, it was a community with a chip on its shoulder.

The same in San Clemente.

I remember time spent with Sam’s high school coach, Jaime Ortiz. He would teach me, and countless other about the ethos of the town and the humility of this community. It was clear that it resonated with his teams, and now, his QB1.

While calling his games as a QB at USC it was also clear that Sam would be a star.

Watching him compete in the Rose Bowl only confirmed that hunch.

He had met the moment countless times and after that game was about to live the reality that so many past and future Trojan QBs did: once named a starter you were not just a household name, you were now a Heisman candidate.

That off-season I was invited to a meeting with Tim Tessalone, the hall of fame sports information director and a longtime mentor of mine, and Katie Ryan, his protege and now USC’s Director of Football Communications. They had come to me with an idea before Sam’s redshirt sophomore season.

The non-Heisman, Heisman campaign.

I was all in.

The concept quickly evolved into something never seen before in college football: a podcast...with a player. But not a traditional one. Instead of Sam simply answering questions from me, we explored the concept of what if he asked them? What if his natural curiosity led the conversation?

Thus we launched The Season of Sam.

Each week, Sam invited guests he wanted to learn from: Pete Carroll, Colin Cowherd, Dr. Michael Gervais, Trent Dilfer, Justin Turner, Sam Hunt and even Will Ferrell. Sam drove it all and watching him lean into learning was fun for me as a host—but even more powerful for fans.

I realized it was real when Rece Davis mentioned it on the opening segment of College GameDay that season:

“Sam Darnold, the quarterback at USC, also hosts a podcast with Yogi Roth called The Season of Sam.”

From there, the journey kept going. An iconic Pro Day. The NFL draft. New York Jets. Carolina Panthers. San Francisco 49ers. Minnesota Vikings…

…And now?

The Super Bowl.

Watching people celebrate Sam Darnold over the past few weeks—his perseverance, growth, and belief—puts the same smile on my face that I had standing on that field in San Francisco in 2014.