{"id":429391,"date":"2026-01-25T18:05:18","date_gmt":"2026-01-25T18:05:18","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/429391\/"},"modified":"2026-01-25T18:05:18","modified_gmt":"2026-01-25T18:05:18","slug":"meet-the-seahawks-fan-dubbed-stan-darnold-who-is-pulling-for-his-qb-look-alike","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/429391\/","title":{"rendered":"Meet the Seahawks fan dubbed \u2018Stan Darnold\u2019 who is pulling for his QB look-alike"},"content":{"rendered":"

It was a brisk morning in Seattle with a divisional round matchup against the San Francisco 49ers looming.<\/p>\n

One man with red hair and a goatee in his mid\/late twenties wakes up with a No. 14 jersey waiting for him. He has a big afternoon ahead, trying to beat traffic to Lumen Field and all. He\u2019s not too superstitious \u2014 no lucky socks or anything like that \u2014 but he does pay some extra attention to his obliques, massaging them for good measure.<\/p>\n

No, this wasn\u2019t Seattle Seahawks quarterback Sam Darnold, who had been dealing with an oblique injury ahead of Seattle\u2019s drubbing of San Francisco on Saturday. (Darnold played through it.) Meet Ben Conklin, better known now as \u201cStan Darnold.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cI sure was massaging my oblique the morning of the game just in case there was any spiritual or universal connection there,\u201d Conklin said, with a laugh. \u201cJust making sure I wasn\u2019t spinning that thing around or tweaking it in a way that would translate through the universe and screw (Darnold) over.\u201d<\/p>\n

In late December, CBS cameras caught Conklin sitting in the first row during the fourth quarter of a Seahawks\u2019 win against the Carolina Panthers. The broadcast put the shot of Conklin side-by-side with one of Darnold on the sideline, and Ian Eagle and JJ Watt were quick to give Conklin a new nickname inspired by his doppelg\u00e4nger, \u201cStan Darnold.\u201d<\/p>\n

“That’s Stan Darnold” \ud83e\udd23<\/p>\n

Ian Eagle & @JJWatt<\/a> found a Sam Darnold look alike in the stands \ud83d\ude2d pic.twitter.com\/HM9lICuOYN<\/a><\/p>\n

\u2014 NFL on CBS \ud83c\udfc8 (@NFLonCBS) December 28, 2025<\/a><\/p>\n

This wasn\u2019t the first time Conklin, a 27-year-old data engineer, had heard of the comparison with the two-time Pro Bowl quarterback. Conklin grew up in Maltby, Wash., just about 20 miles northeast of Seattle, and had been a Seahawks fan since high school.<\/p>\n

Conklin later relocated to Charlotte, N.C., with his wife, and when Darnold played for the Panthers in 2021 and 2022, he bought his jersey. When Conklin\u2019s Seahawks signed Darnold in the offseason, the first thing he did was get his jersey.<\/p>\n

He and Darnold\u2019s similar appearances had been a running joke between Conklin and his circle of friends and family. \u201cStan Darnold\u201d is a new nickname, with links to Eminem\u2019s 2000 song about a fan\u2019s admiration of the rapper, but it\u2019s not Conklin\u2019s first alter ego.<\/p>\n

\u201cI had used things before like Discount Darnold,\u201d Conklin said, \u201cbecause I think he\u2019s a little taller, a little more handsome than I am.\u201d<\/p>\n

A few minutes after the initial \u201cStan Darnold\u201d sighting, the CBS broadcast panned back, and this time, Conklin caught onto the joke. His friend Drew, who was watching the game at home, took a picture of the side-by-side comparison and sent it in their group chat.<\/p>\n

Hey twin \ud83e\udd1e @12s<\/a> pic.twitter.com\/4n7jHa4EMk<\/a><\/p>\n

\u2014 xz* \u2013 Seattle Seahawks (@Seahawks) December 28, 2025<\/a><\/p>\n

\u201cWe told people that we had really good seats and might get on the broadcast or something like that,\u201d Conklin said. \u201cThe broadcast caught me reacting in real time to the fact that they had picked up on the comparison. The minute I saw that, I was just dying inside laughing.\u201d<\/p>\n

Look-alike contests have spread across the league in recent years. In December 2024, Jalen Hurts and Jason Kelce look-alikes took over Philadelphia\u2019s Rittenhouse Square, with the retired Eagle later watching the highlights during \u201cMonday Night Countdown.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cNews flash, any overweight white guy with a beard looks just like me,\u201d Kelce said. \u201cIt\u2019s an easy competition!\u201d<\/p>\n

The same was done for Dan Campbell in Detroit last year and Ben Johnson in Chicago ahead of the Bears\u2019 2025 playoff run. The Johnson look-alike contest even had prizes, with a $1,000 Visa gift card and free pizza for one year on the line.<\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019d love to show up for one if someone ever organized one for Sam,\u201d Conklin said. \u201cI feel like I\u2019d have a leg up on most of the competition there.\u201d<\/p>\n

Now, Conklin and Darnold\u2019s connection goes beyond looks. The Seahawks found Conklin on Instagram after he was spotted in Carolina and asked him to send Darnold a good luck video for the playoffs.<\/p>\n

\u201cMy ginger brother.\u201d \ud83e\udd1d pic.twitter.com\/CoIqxx46Nd<\/a><\/p>\n

\u2014 xz* \u2013 Seattle Seahawks (@Seahawks) January 8, 2026<\/a><\/p>\n

\u201cI probably took 15 takes or so to get that right, but I sent it out, and it was just so awesome to see Sam react,\u201d Conklin said. \u201cI think it just goes to show how cool he is as a guy (and) that he\u2019s willing to have fun with stuff like this on the side in the middle of a super serious, super important season in his career.\u201d<\/p>\n

To pay back the favor, Darnold sent Conklin a jersey signed: \u201cTo Ben. My ginger brother! Go Hawks!\u201d<\/p>\n

\"Ben<\/a><\/p>\n

\n Ben Conklin recorded a good luck video for Sam Darnold and received an autographed jersey from the QB in exchange. (Courtesy of Ben Conklin)<\/p>\n

Conklin stayed in Seattle this week and plans to attend Sunday\u2019s NFC Championship Game against the Los Angeles Rams. It\u2019s the Seahawks\u2019 first appearance in the conference title game since the 2014 season.<\/p>\n

If it\u2019s anything like last week, Conklin will be approached by fans asking to take pictures with him, whether they recognize him from this month of Darnold doppelg\u00e4nger madness or are making the connection themselves in person. And, of course, Conklin is picking the Seahawks to continue on the quest for a Super Bowl LX title.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s been awesome. I mean, just beyond my wildest dreams in a lot of ways,\u201d Conklin said. \u201cI\u2019m a huge fan of the team. I follow tons and tons of different media avenues of the team and watch and listen to tons of Seahawks content all the time. And so, to be in a very small way \u2014 and in kind of a funny way \u2014 a part of the season has been really funny.\u201d<\/p>\n