After hundreds of throws and a number of drills at one of USC's fall practices under the California sun, quarterbacks Max Browne and Sam Darnold do what any two players involved in a position battle would do. They go and have their post-practice meal by sitting together.
"Honestly, they're like best friends. They're doing everything together," said wide receiver Juju Smith-Schuster. "If they could get married they would."
Browne, for his part, said he is leaving the nuptials nonsense up to Darnold, who joked that if Browne approves, he's "all-in."
This college football season, as many as 11 of the Top 25 teams in the nation are looking to replace starting quarterbacks heading into the fall. USC's competing pair, however, have a friendship that goes beyond an exaggerated comment from their No. 1 wideout, beyond a shared meal and beyond other commonalities they share.
"We're just like two other guys having fun," said Darnold. "We like to hangout and just like to push the competition aside when we're together."
Pegged against each other since the start of spring ball, it appears the two quarterbacks gunning for the spot that has belonged to the likes of Matt Leinart, Mark Sanchez and most recently, Cody Kessler, have found more common ground than dividing differences.
Browne, the redshirt junior from Sammamish, Washington, owns a Razor scooter that he rides around campus. Darnold, owns the same Razor scooter, following a trend that other USC players are taking up, and one that Browne takes full credit for.
"Yeah, we have matching scooters," Darnold confirmed. "We used to have matching backpacks, but that is now not true because Max got a backpack when he was a counselor at Elite 11."
Both Browne and Darnold don't take themselves too seriously. The latter said they even joke about the fact that they're competing against each other. Off-the-field, that is.
"If you see Max Browne, you're always going to see Sam Darnold right next to him…you never see one without the other," said wide receiver Darreus Rogers. "I love it because it's rare that you find two quarterbacks that hang out like that."
On the field, where the competition is playing out, the two are far from mirrored images.
Browne, the presumed favorite and former backup to Cody Kessler, cocks his arm above his shoulder before he unleashes a throw from his powerful arm. Browne can throw downfield with ease, but he can also roll-out smoothly in order to throw on the run.
If Browne is capable with his feet, Darnold thrives outside of the pocket. The dual-threat redshirt freshman from San Clemente High has looked more polished and composed since last spring. His stocky build has grown since he first arrived at USC, and his throwing motion—lower than Browne's and more from the chest than from above the shoulder—packs its own accuracy and punch.
As the Trojans ready themselves for their season opener against defending national champion Alabama in Dallas, the question of who will be under center is still up in the air. Head coach Clay Helton has said he will name the starter, on August 20, when he releases the depth chart, a fact that either speaks volumes to how evenly talented and matched up the two are, or speaks to the inability of one to stand out above the other.
The more pro-style QB who has toiled in the backup position and paid his dues, Browne seems like the logical pick. Yet it's hard not to see how the shifty Darnold can give a Tide defense who has struggled with mobile quarterbacks in the past some trouble. And, as Helton attests, he can't help but have Alabama on the mind.
"Every night until about midnight when I fall asleep on the couch," he said in response to how much he thinks about their first game. "You worry about your team, but you're also in the back of your mind every little waking second that you get you're preparing for the next game and that game is Alabama."
Helton being the diplomat that he is, credits both quarterbacks on a daily basis for their evolution and progress, being careful not to slide in the way of one or the other. Yet the culture of camaraderie that the former interim coach has brought to the Trojans seems to be part of why the quarterbacks off-the-field friendship is what it is.
"They spend a lot of time together," said offensive lineman Toa Lobendahn. "So, I feel like that friendship is not just gonna break over a quarterback competition."
As the ultimatum date nears, and Nick Saban's deadly defense looms, there is no apparent frontrunner and certainly no clear answer, even to those who can't wait to have an official starter.
"I'm just like you guys, I'm trying to find out too," said Smith-Schuster who wants the chemistry to build quickly. "They do everything together, so honestly, I don't know what will separate them."
Whatever the decision is, the bond that the two have formed has already transcended the divisive mentality a quarterback competition is expected to form. But matching scooters or not, though, they both still want one thing above all.
"Don't get it mixed up," said Browne. "We're obviously competing and trying to beat each other out."
Annenberg Media