University Southern California Trojans
The Science of Greatness
August 16, 2017 | Football, USC Ripsit Blog, Features
During the 2016 college football season, Sam Darnold took the nation by storm. Darnold lost his first game as a starter, but then found his groove, using his instincts and creativity to help the Trojans rattle off nine straight wins.
After Darnold earned Freshman All-American honors, Rose Bowl Offensive MVP and the Archie Griffin Award for college football's MVP, ESPN set out to analyze what makes Darnold great on its Sport Science program.
At Sport Science, Darnold underwent a complete body scan, wore motion monitoring equipment and competed in a number of drills to measure his timing, accuracy and strength.
Sport Science determined that Darnold's quickest reaction time was just 0.21 seconds, shorter than 2017 NFL Draft first-rounder Patrick Mahomes and NFL Pro Bowl QB Jameis Winston.
Sport Science also brought some clarity to Darnold's throwing motion, which has been a topic of conversation among scouts and media members since he stepped on the scene. In 2016, his average release time was 0.45 seconds, but after working to speed it up during the offseason, Sport Science clocked him at 0.39 seconds in their lab.
Click the photo above to watch Darnold's experience in the ESPN Sport Science Lab and click here to watch Darnold play in the Coliseum this season!
After Darnold earned Freshman All-American honors, Rose Bowl Offensive MVP and the Archie Griffin Award for college football's MVP, ESPN set out to analyze what makes Darnold great on its Sport Science program.
At Sport Science, Darnold underwent a complete body scan, wore motion monitoring equipment and competed in a number of drills to measure his timing, accuracy and strength.
Sport Science determined that Darnold's quickest reaction time was just 0.21 seconds, shorter than 2017 NFL Draft first-rounder Patrick Mahomes and NFL Pro Bowl QB Jameis Winston.
Sport Science also brought some clarity to Darnold's throwing motion, which has been a topic of conversation among scouts and media members since he stepped on the scene. In 2016, his average release time was 0.45 seconds, but after working to speed it up during the offseason, Sport Science clocked him at 0.39 seconds in their lab.
Click the photo above to watch Darnold's experience in the ESPN Sport Science Lab and click here to watch Darnold play in the Coliseum this season!
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