Clay Helton sends note of support for Sam Darnold

Clay Helton sent a really nice note about Sam Darnold after the quarterback declared for the NFL Draft on Wednesday.

The USC head coach called Darnold a “true example of what it means to be a Trojan” and praised Darnold’s character.

Thank you Sam Darnold for being the person, player, and man of character that you are! You are the true example of what it means to be a Trojan! #TrojanForLife #FightOn

— Clay Helton (@USCCoachHelton) January 4, 2018

Though Darnold only played two seasons for the Trojans, he was in the program for three as he redshirted his first year, so Helton has been around him for a long time.

Darnold went 20-4 as the Trojans’ starting quarterback over the past two seasons. He led the team to a Rose Bowl victory last year and was 9-1 as their starter as a redshirt freshman. Moreover, Darnold never got into any trouble while he was at USC.

Darnold and Josh Rosen both declared for the draft Wednesday and could become the top two picks in the draft.