Sam Darnold, Daniel Imatorbhebhe Named to Athlon All-Freshman Team

USC quarterback Sam Darnold and tight end Daniel Imatorbhebhe were named to Athlon’s All-Freshman teams for 2016.

The future looks plenty bright for USC football, with quarterback Sam Darnold and tight end Daniel Imatorbhbhe earning spots on Athlon’s 2016 All-Freshman teams.

The redshirt freshman duo were both selected as second team Freshman All-Americans by Athlon, while they also headlined the Freshman All-Pac-12 team as first teamers.

Darnold was one of the top quarterbacks in the country, not just among freshmen, in 2016. His passer rating of 161.01 was tenth nationally and first among rookies.

Finishing with a completion percentage of 68.1, 2,633 yards and 26 touchdowns to just eight interceptions, Darnold’s freshman season was the most impressive by a Trojan ever.

Alabama’s Jalen Hurts, who led the Tide to an undefeated record and the top seed in the College Football Playoff, got the first team nod over Darnold. Florida State’s Deondre Francois and Texas’ Shane Buechele were named to the third and fourth team.

The only freshman tight end to outrank Imatorbhebhe was Georgia’s Isaac Nauta, a former USC target who had 353 yards and three touchdowns on 27 catches for the Bulldogs this year.

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Imatorbhebhe emerged as a key target for the Trojans in the latter half of the season. He finished with 15 catches for 225 yards and four touchdowns.

On the Freshman All-Pac-12 team, Imatorbhebhe, a Florida-transfer, beat out USC-transfer Caleb Wilson, who took the second team spot for UCLA.

Darnold was trailed by Oregon’s Justin Herbert at quarterback.

With scholarship numbers finally back at normal levels, the Trojans did not have to rely on too many freshmen this season. On offense, the only freshman who might have garnered All-Freshman attention was wide receiver Michael Pittman, but with just six catches for 82 yards to his name, it’s hard to call him a snub.

On defense there were no major freshman contributors, though Jack Jones saw his involvement increase as the season went on.