Levi’s Stadium has seen champions crowned before, but Sunday night carried a familiar Cardinal-and-Gold echo. Long after the confetti fell on Super Bowl LX, five former USC Trojans stood together in Seahawks blue, Lombardi Trophy gleaming, rewriting history with a West Coast accent and a Fight On flair.
They affectionately call themselves the “USC-Hawks”, and after Seattle’s 29–13 victory over the New England Patriots, the nickname feels permanent.
At the center stood Sam Darnold, stoic, scarred, and finally crowned a champion. He became the first quarterback from USC to ever start — and win — a Super Bowl. For a program that produced Carson Palmer, Matt Leinart, and Mark Sanchez, this was the missing chapter.
His journey started at USC the same way it ended Sunday with a championship at Levi’s Stadium. Darnold was thrust into the lineup three games into the 2016 season, he went 9–1, won the Pac-12 title, a Rose Bowl, and never gave the job back. He went 19-4 as a starter and set a standard for those that followed.
After the game, former Trojans quarterbacks Matt Leinart and Matt Barkley shared their congratulations for their USC brothers on social media.
The exclamation point in Super Bowl LX came from Uchenna Nwosu, who turned a fourth-quarter interception into a 45-yard touchdown sprint that slammed the door shut. Eight seasons into his career, it was his first pick-six, and it arrived on the sport’s biggest stage.
Former Trojans’ safety and current NFL Hall of Famer Ronnie Lott shared his pride for Nwosu on social media after the play.
Poetic, really. Nwosu and Darnold were named co-Most Valuable Players for the USC Trojans’ 2017 football team.They each scored touchdowns on Sunday, only this time with rings waiting.
“We’re very tight. It’s SC. We have a mantra called ‘Fight On’ and no matter what happens, we continue to fight through everything,” said Nwosu to Arash Markazi of the Sporting Tribune inside the celebratory locker room. “Shoutout to all my SC brothers and sisters on this squad. We were able to bring home the championship.”
Up front, Leonard Williams wrecked pockets and silenced doubters. A Trojan since day one, Williams’ Super Bowl debut looked like every snap he ever took at USC.
“The journey is what makes this so special,” said Leonard after the game when asked about him and Darnold going from USC, to the New York Jets, to winning a Super Bowl with the Seahawks. “A lot of those Trojan guys have been around since I was a rookie.”
Beside him stood Brandon Pili, the long road incarnate. Alaska to USC. Achilles tear to undrafted. Practice squad to Super Bowl champion. Football rarely rewards patience. Sunday night did.
And quietly, Velus Jones added his name to the roll call. Not glamorous. Not linear. But still a champion.
Behind the scenes, the Trojan influence ran deeper. Former USC strength boss Ivan Lewis and his staff helped shape Seattle’s physical edge, turning Fight On into muscle memory.
Only Alabama and LSU sent more players to Super Bowl LX. But only USC sent a quarterback who finally finished the climb.
