Usage Score
14.8
Player Dossier
2015-2017USC
Sam Darnold
QB • 6'4" • 220 lbs • Capistrano Beach, CA, USA
Balanced quarterback profileVolume operator
Sam Darnold is a balanced quarterback profile with 14.8 usage in the latest tracked season.
Efficiency
62.7
Consistency
86.9
Season Value
66.1
Career Arc
Value trend by season
Best season by value score: 2017 Postseason · USC
1516161717
Snapshot
- Career Teams
- 1
- Seasons Tracked
- 5
- Program Path
- USC
- Peak Game
- Peak game by takeover score: Colorado
Scouting Read
Best season and peak-game context are pinned here so the rest of the page can stay analytical without losing the headline story.
Sam Darnold, QB. Best season Best season by value score: 2017 Postseason · USC. Sam Darnold is a balanced quarterback profile with 14.8 usage in the latest tracked season.
Player insights
Lead takeaway
Best season by value score: 2017 Postseason
USC paired 4,225 primary output with 62.7 efficiency.
Supporting note
2017 Postseason role shape
pass-led usage with 62.7 efficiency.
Supporting note
Career value stayed steady
2017 Regular Season tracked close to the prior stop by season value score.
Supporting note
Peak game by takeover score: Colorado
Win with 360 yards of offense and 85.6 efficiency. It landed in the 85.7th percentile of the selected season.
Analysis workspace
Season Workbench
Filter the strongest season sample, inspect game-level shape, and then drop into the full log without losing the story of the year.
Season Explorer
Understand the selected season before dropping into the full game log.
2017 Postseason · USC
Games
14
Primary Metric / G
301.8
Efficiency
62.7
Usage
14.8
Consistency
86.9
Best Game by takeover score
Ohio State
Hover a point or expand a game row to keep the active game context visible here.
Game-by-Game Trend
1234567891011121314
Chronological game order.
Game by game trend chart. Ohio State: 338. Western Michigan: 283. Stanford: 320. Texas: 385. California: 237. Washington State: 189. Oregon State: 298. Utah: 373. Notre Dame: 236. Arizona State: 285. Arizona: 321. Colorado: 360. UCLA: 274. Stanford: 326
Volume vs Efficiency
Low volume / high quality
High volume / high quality
Low volume / lower quality
High volume / lower quality
Volume on the x-axis, quality on the y-axis.
Volume versus efficiency scatter chart. Ohio State: 56 by 53.7. Western Michigan: 38 by 54.6. Stanford: 28 by 67.5. Texas: 55 by 52.1. California: 40 by 69.2. Washington State: 38 by 53.2. Oregon State: 39 by 57.4. Utah: 56 by 59.7. Notre Dame: 37 by 58.3. Arizona State: 39 by 66.3. Arizona: 31 by 70.3. Colorado: 37 by 85.6. UCLA: 33 by 61.3. Stanford: 28 by 68.3
Split Comparison
Wins314.7 · n=11 · +60.4 vs Losses
Losses254.3 · n=3 · -60.4 vs Wins
First Half292.9 · n=7 · -17.9 vs Second Half
Second Half310.7 · n=7 · +17.9 vs First Half
Game Log
Dense stat lines with inline explanations and season-linked highlights.
14 games
Featured metric
Total Offense
Top game by takeover score
Colorado
Best efficiency game
85.6 vs Colorado
| Result | ||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sat 12/30 | @ Ohio State300-yard game | L 7-24 | 26 | 45 | 356 | 57.8 | 0 | 1 | 53.7 | 11 | -18 | -1.60 | 0 | 14 |
| Sat 12/2 | vs Stanford300-yard game | W 31-28 | 17 | 24 | 325 | 70.8 | 2 | 0 | 68.3 | 4 | 1 | 0.30 | 0 | 7 |
| Sun 11/19 | vs UCLA | W 28-23 | 17 | 28 | 264 | 60.7 | 0 | 1 | 61.3 | 5 | 10 | 2 | 1 | 9 |
| Sat 11/11 | @ Colorado300-yard game · 3+ TD | W 38-24 | 21 | 34 | 329 | 61.8 | 2 | 0 | 85.6 | 3 | 31 | 10.30 | 1 | 24 |
| Sun 11/5 | vs Arizona300-yard game | W 49-35 | 20 | 26 | 311 | 76.9 | 2 | 1 | 70.3 | 5 | 10 | 2 | 0 | 10 |
| Sun 10/29 | @ Arizona State3+ TD | W 48-17 | 19 | 35 | 266 | 54.3 | 3 | 0 | 66.3 | 4 | 19 | 4.80 | 0 | 39 |
| Sat 10/21 | @ Notre Dame | L 14-49 | 20 | 28 | 229 | 71.4 | 2 | 1 | 58.3 | 9 | 7 | 0.80 | 0 | 18 |
| Sun 10/15 | vs Utah300-yard game · 3+ TD | W 28-27 | 27 | 50 | 358 | 54.0 | 3 | 0 | 59.7 | 6 | 15 | 2.50 | 0 | 14 |
| Sat 10/7 | vs Oregon State300-yard game · 3+ TD | W 38-10 | 23 | 35 | 316 | 65.7 | 3 | 1 | 57.4 | 4 | -18 | -4.50 | 0 | 7 |
| Sat 9/30 | @ Washington State | L 27-30 | 15 | 29 | 164 | 51.7 | 0 | 1 | 53.2 | 9 | 25 | 2.80 | 2 | 11 |
| Sat 9/23 | @ California | W 30-20 | 26 | 38 | 223 | 68.4 | 2 | 1 | 69.2 | 2 | 14 | 7 | 0 | 19 |
| Sun 9/17 | vs Texas300-yard game · 3+ TD | W 27-24 | 28 | 49 | 397 | 57.1 | 3 | 2 | 52.1 | 6 | -12 | -2 | 0 | 10 |
| Sun 9/10 | vs Stanford300-yard game · 3+ TD | W 42-24 | 21 | 26 | 316 | 80.8 | 4 | 2 | 67.5 | 2 | 4 | 2 | 0 | 5 |
| Sat 9/2 | vs Western Michigan | W 49-31 | 23 | 33 | 289 | 69.7 | 0 | 2 | 54.6 | 5 | -6 | -1.20 | 1 | 11 |
Career Arc
Track team changes, role shifts, and season-to-season movement.
- 1
USC
2015-2017
Opening stop
Season Progression
20152016201620172017
| Season | Team | Primary | Efficiency | Usage | Delta |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2015 Regular Season | USC | 0 | — | — | — |
| 2016 Postseason | USC | 3,336 | 65.8 | 13 | 3,336 |
| 2016 Regular Season | USC | 3,336 | 65.8 | 13 | 0 |
| 2017 Postseason | USC | 4,225 | 62.7 | 14.8 | 889 |
| 2017 Regular Season | USC | 4,225 | 62.7 | 14.8 | 0 |
Signature Performances
Top Games
#1 Featured game
Colorado
Win with 360 yards of offense and 85.6 efficiency.
360
Primary metric
360 total offense with 85.6 efficiency.
#2
Penn State
473
Primary metric
Win with 473 yards of offense and 66.5 efficiency.
473 total offense with 66.5 efficiency.
#3
Utah
373
Primary metric
Win with 373 yards of offense and 59.7 efficiency.
373 total offense with 59.7 efficiency.
#4
Ohio State
338
Primary metric
Loss with 338 yards of offense and 53.7 efficiency.
338 total offense with 53.7 efficiency.
#5
Texas
385
Primary metric
Win shaped by high passing volume and turnover pressure.
385 total offense with 52.1 efficiency.
Top Seasons
#1 Season by value score
2017 Postseason · USC
4,225 primary output · 62.7 efficiency · 14.8 usage
66.1
#2
2017 Regular Season · USC
66.1
4,225 primary · 62.7 efficiency · 14.8 usage
#3
2016 Postseason · USC
59.9
3,336 primary · 65.8 efficiency · 13 usage
Milestones
19
250+ passing yards
12
300+ total offense
0
3+ takeover TD games
17
Above avg efficiency
Bio, Recruit, and Data Context
Recruit Profile
4★
Class 2015 · Rating 0.9338
San Clemente · San Clemente, CA
- Committed To
- USC
- Commit Date
- Jan 1, 2015
Career Facts
1
Career teams
5
Seasons tracked
7,561
Career Total Offense
Data Context
Coverage spans 5 tracked seasons, 27 games, and base opponent context only. Derived metrics fall back to raw production when share or rating context is missing.