USC Football Players Share 2017 New Year’s Resolutions

The USC football team has a big goal on the horizon: beating Penn State in the Rose Bowl on January 2nd. But what about their 2017 New Year’s resolutions?

Friday at Rose Bowl Media Day, some USC football players talked about their New Year’s resolution heading into 2017. Without a surprise, winning the Granddaddy of Them All is objective No. 1.

“[I’m] too focused on the team, too focused on the game,” Zach Banner said. “Other than winning the Rose Bowl, there’s nothing more important to me.”

For others, the mantra for 2017 is all about improvement. Chris Hawkins wants to win a Pac-12 championship, Ajene Harris is looking to work on his technique and JuJu Smith-Schuster simply strives to be better at playing ball.

Of course, like most Americans, weight was a popular topic among the Trojans. Although perhaps not for the same reasons. While Stevie Tu’ikolovatu and Cam Smith want to lose weight and ‘eat right’, both Connor Murphy and Aca’Cedric Ware are hoping to gain weight.

“You can always gain weight and you can never be too big,” Murphy said. “Hopefully some weight room goals will be accomplished this offseason.”

Ware’s bulking up sounds a bit more tasty.

“I want to get home and get as much food as I can, to put some weight on for next season,” he said. The grub Ware’s looking forward to most? His mother’s homemade chicken pot pie.

As for Tu’ikolovatu, he’s planning to spend 2017 feeding others.

“I want to do my charity work,” he said. “That’s actually a goal of my wife and I’s. She’s been here at Skid Row. She’s always over there on the weekends volunteering and stuff, so we want to do more of that and get me more involved when I have time.”

In all, the apple doesn’t fall far from the tree, with the team prioritizing Clay Helton’s maxim of faith, family and football in 2017.

Here’s what the rest of the Trojans had to say about their New Year’s resolution:

• Cary Angeline: “Keep working hard and be the best player I can be for the team.”
• Deontay Burnett: “Always get a little closer to God each year. And work on my bad habits in football from 2016 and translate them to 2017 and become a better football player.”
• Sam Darnold: “Maybe play some basketball this offseason, but not too much. I don’t think I have one New Year’s Resolution in particular. I think I need to do a little bit better in school, but nothing in particular.”
• Jalen Greene: “
• Ajene Harris: “Get better in my technique, get better as a person and just keep getting closer to God.”
• Daniel Imatorbhebhe: “I’m just trying to win the Rose Bowl and go back home to Atlanta to spend some time back at home, before we come back and try to do it all again.”
• Adoree’ Jackson: “I don’t think I’ve ever had a New Year’s resolution, honestly. I’ll just be relaxing, just chilling and going with the flow. I really don’t think too much about new years and what to expect.”
• Damien Mama: “This offseason is really big for me. Just the upcoming season and wanting to get better. Work on my consistency on and off the field and playbook, all that. Just getting better as an overall player.”
• Iman Marshall: “Living it to the fullest of my capabilities. Maximize all my opportunities and being around friends and family and supporting them with all my heart.”
• Uchenna Nwosu: “Just have a better year than 2016, football-wise, family-wise, school-wise. Everything.”
• C.J. Pollard: “Be better than I was last year, on the field and off the field. Be better a person all around.”
• JuJu Smith-Schuster:
• Kenechi Udeze: “When I say I’m going to work out, I’m going to work out.”