Sam Darnold has found a home in Minnesota this season as the quarterback of the Vikings.

Make no mistake about it, though, he’s a Southern California kid through and through. He grew up in San Clemente, which is roughly the midway point between Los Angeles and San Diego, and went on to earn a scholarship to attend the University of Southern California.

Not surprisingly, Darnold has had family and friends blowing up his phone this week with the Vikings set to play the Rams on Thursday night at SoFi Stadium in Inglewood.

“I’ve got a lot of people asking for tickets,” Darnold said with a smile. “It’s been great.”

This will mark the first time in his professional career that Darnold has played in Southern California with fans in attendance. The only other time he has played in Los Angeles came on Dec. 20, 2020 when his New York Jets played the Rams in the middle of the pandemic.

Asked if he was looking forward to being home, Darnold tried his best to downplay it, saying, “I’m going there on a business trip.”

Indeed. There is work to be done as the Vikings attempt to bounce back from a 31-29 loss to the Detroit Lions over the weekend. That’s the main thing Darnold was focused on talking to reporters on Tuesday afternoon at TCO Performance Center.

“I’m always excited to go out there and play football with my teammate,” Darnold said. “It’s another great opportunity for us.”

It will be the first time this season that the Vikings have played before a national audience. What can viewers expect to see from Darnold under the lights?

“They’re going to see what they’ve been seeing,” star receiver Justin Jefferson said. “He has been playing great.”

After floundering with the Jets and the Carolina Panthers early in his professional career, Darnold got a new lease on life with the San Francisco 49ers last season before ultimately signing with the Vikings ahead of this season.

To say Darnold has made the most of this opportunity with the Vikings would be an understatement. He has completely rewritten the narrative this season, leading the Vikings to a 5-1 record, while completing 109 of 164 passes for 1,370 yards and 12 touchdowns.

“He has been our true leader,” running back Aaron Jones said. “You know, when times get tough or we face a little adversity, Sam is right there to pick us up. You see him out there making big plays. I’m happy to have him here and be working alongside him.”

As talented as Darnold proved to be as a teenager in Southern California, it’s fitting that his return home coincides with him playing at such a high level. This is the type of player many people from his hometown always believed he could be.

“It’s always fun to be able to go home,” Darnold said. “It’ll be nice to see some family members and stuff before and after the game.”

Just his mind will be elsewhere during the game itself.

Quarterback Sam Darnold #14 of the USC Trojans runs with the ball as cornerback John Reid #29 of the Penn State Nittany Lions attempts to tackle him in the first half of the 2017 Rose Bowl Game presented by Northwestern Mutual at the Rose Bowl on Jan. 2, 2017 in Pasadena, California. (Photo by Kevork Djansezian/Getty Images)

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