After losing his starting job at USC after just three games last season, paving the way for young rising star Sam Darnold, Max Browne knew he needed to find a new place to play his final year of eligibility if he wanted to start again. Pitt wound up being the destination for the quarterback, and he’ll be bringing a motivation with him driven by the way things ended for him at USC.
Browne was pulled out of the starting job after a rough three-game start that included losses to Alabama and Stanford. Because Darnold fit in so well with the Trojans offense, leading the to a strong second half of the season and a wild Rose Bowl victory over Big Ten champion Penn State, the writing had long been on the wall for Browne that his opportunity to lead USC’s offense was gone. In December, Browne announced he was leaving the Trojans and moving to Pittsburgh to play with the Panthers.
“A lot of frustration, confusion, disappointment,” Browne said in an interview with Andrea Adelson of ESPN.com when describing his reactions to being informed by USC head coach Clay Helton he would no longer be the starting quarterback. “I don’t mean to be negative, but I also don’t want to be fake. That situation was not the easiest one on me, but I was happy to see my guys finish the season out the right way and get that Rose Bowl win, but it was tough.
As you might imagine, Browne is now provided with a little bit of extra motivation to make things right and prove he is worthy of a starting job, even if it comes in another program in a different conference in a completely new region.
“It’s in my blood, it’s 100 percent fuel to the fire, definitely drives me,” Browne said. “I think at this point in my career, being a fifth-year senior, you have to find your spark, and that’s definitely it. That’s what is definitely sparking me and wanting me to lead Pitt to a great season.”
Browne has just one final year of eligibility, and he is expected to be Pitt’s new starting quarterback after the Panthers lost Nate Peterman to graduation.
