QUARTERBACK
It was the question of the offseason. Who would replace Cody Kessler? Max Browne, the veteran, or Sam Darnold, the upstart redshirt freshman. Browne got the nod to begin the season, before Darnold took over after three games. He never looked back. The learning curve was short, as he went 9-1 as the starting quarterback and finished the season by throwing a Rose Bowl record five touchdown passes against Penn State. He ranked in the Top 10 in the country in pass efficiency and sparked big plays.
GRADE: A-
RUNNING BACK
When the season began, Justin Davis and Ronald Jones spoke about becoming USC’s first pair of running backs since Reggie Bush and LenDale White to each reach 1,000 rushing yards in a season, a feat they nearly met in 2015.