USC connection runs deep in Seahawks’ Super Bowl LX victory

SANTA CLARA, Calif. — Seattle Seahawks defensive end Leonard Williams stood in front of his locker, basking in the afterglow of winning the Super Bowl, when he heard a group of familiar voices calling his name.

It was the other members of the “USC-Hawks,” a tight-knit collection of former USC players and staffers who helped the Seahawks defeat the New England Patriots, 29-13, to win Super Bowl LX at Levi’s Stadium on Sunday.

They wanted a group photo in the locker room with the Vince Lombardi Trophy — though they would have to take it without quarterback Sam Darnold, who was still in the interview room.

Darnold would celebrate with his Trojan family later. In the meantime, Williams, linebacker Uchenna Nwosu, defensive tackle Brandon Pili, running back Velus Jones Jr., director of player performance and development Ivan Lewis, strength and conditioning coach Jamie Yanchar and several support staffers gathered at the center of the locker room. Flashing the victory sign, they shouted, “Fight on!”

It wasn’t the first time USC has played a role in a Seahawks championship. Legendary Trojans coach Pete Carroll left USC to guide Seattle to its first Super Bowl title in 2014, and former USC linebacker Malcolm Smith was named Super Bowl MVP after the Seahawks’ 43-8 victory over the Denver Broncos in Super Bowl XLVIII.

This time, it was Darnold who made history. He became the first USC quarterback to start — and win — a Super Bowl, completing 19 of 38 passes for 202 yards, one touchdown and no interceptions. Nwosu helped seal the game with a 45-yard interception return for a touchdown.

Less than a decade earlier, Darnold and Nwosu were co-MVPs while leading USC to a Pac-12 championship victory over Stanford at Levi’s Stadium and a Rose Bowl win over Penn State.

“We’re very tight,” Nwosu told The Sporting Tribune. “We have a mantra and it’s called ‘Fight On.’ No matter what happens, we continue to push through everything. Shout out to all my SC brothers and sisters here on this squad. We were able to bring home a championship.”

What bonds the Trojans in Seattle goes beyond their alma mater. None of them had a smooth path to this moment. Each was drafted by another team and faced adversity before eventually finding a home in Seattle.

“It’s been an up-and-down journey,” Nwosu said. “I started off at USC: All-American, co-MVP, all that good stuff. Go to the Chargers, second-round pick, make a couple plays. Then come here to Seattle, battle injuries back-to-back seasons, have surgeries back-to-back seasons. Now I’m a Super Bowl champ. So the road hasn’t been easy, but I stayed resilient, kept God by my side, kept my family by my side, and I came out victorious.”

Williams and Darnold were both top-six picks by the New York Jets but made multiple stops before finding stability in Seattle.

“The journey is what makes this moment so special,” Williams said. “A lot of those Trojan guys — like our whole training staff — I’ve been around since I was young in college. Sam Darnold and Uchenna, I played with those guys at USC. I played with Sam on the Jets. It just means a lot for me to see it all come together.”

As the media began to clear out, Darnold sat at his locker staring at an early edition of USA Today splashed with the Seahawks as champions — a surreal sight for a quarterback whose career had once been defined more by questions than celebrations.

“I feel like we’ve both had a lot of ups and downs,” Williams said. “We’ve both had similar journeys. We’ve had doubters and all those types of things. We’ve been training, and I think when it’s right, it’s right. When we both got to this team, we immediately felt at home, and we were able to lead our team to the Super Bowl and win the Super Bowl.”

For a group bonded by cardinal and gold, the celebration in navy and action green felt like destiny fulfilled.