Jayden Maiava Chasing Legendary USC Trojans Quarterbacks

Los Angeles — Quarterback at the University of Southern California is one of the most glamorous positions in college football. It’s an impressive lineage that has elevated to new heights this century.

Three Heisman Trophy winners, two No. 1 overall picks and five quarterbacks in total drafted in the top 10 since Carson Palmer in 2002. USC coach Lincoln Riley's history when it comes to developing the position naturally adds more eyes to the man running the show in the Cardinal and Gold.

USC Trojans Lincoln Riley Caleb Williams National Championship Sam Darnold Heisman College Football Jayden Maiava Big Ten — Aug 29, 2026; Los Angeles, California, USA; Southern California quarterback Jayden Maiava (14) reacts after a touchdown during the second half against San Jose State at United Airlines Field at Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum. Mandatory Credit: Kirby Lee-Imagn Images | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

Jayden Maiava revealed during Big Ten Media Days in late July that he has been able to lean on previous USC quarterbacks — Caleb Williams, Sam Darnold and Matt Leinart for guidance.

Williams and Leinart both won Heisman Trophies. Williams did so under Riley while Leinart won back-to-back national championships under Pete Carroll during the program’s heyday in the early 2000s. Darnold became the first former Trojans quarterback to win a Super Bowl this past February.

Maiava is in his final season at Southern Cal and has his eyes set on cementing his name amongst those that have come before him.

“I don't take it lightly. Being the quarterback at USC, I take pride in it,” Maiava said. “Just kind of do whatever I can to be placed among the great names that was here before me.“

Impressive Start to 2026 Season

It’s year three for Maiava under Riley and the Trojans signal-caller is flourishing early.

He was named the AP National Player of the Week after completing 25-of-29 of his passes for 286 yards and three total touchdowns in a week 0 win over San José State. And he did so with four true freshmen pass-catchers in the starting lineup.

In week 1 win against Fresno State, he went 23-of-25 for 349 yards and three touchdowns, which earned him Big Ten Offensive Player of the Week honors. Maiava's 92.0% completion percentage is the highest single-game completion percentage by a USC quarterback since at least 1995 with a minimum 25 attempts.

Despite having a young and almost entirely new set of pass-catchers, Maiava has been surgical. After having a stretch of 14-straight completions against San José State, Maiava had a stretch of 15-straight completions against Fresno State. It’s something Maiava has stated he doesn’t even notice when it's happening but is just a reflection of the time he and his teammates put in this offseason.

“The preparation, the coaching, and the trust that I have in my teammates, my brothers out there,” Maiava said. “Just really the practice and the reps that we put in this offseason each and every day.”

Accuracy was one of the biggest concerns surrounding Maiava after he took over as the starter for the last four games of the 2024 season. He made tremendous strides in that area in 2025 but in 2026 it’s become one of his biggest strengths.

It comes from better footwork and mechanics, which speaks to his level of commitment behind the scenes and why Riley constantly raves about his work ethic. Still, Maiava continues to be his own toughest critic. His focus is on continuing to build off their early season success.

“There's just so much room to get better. That's all we want to do is get better," Maiava said.

Emergence of Young Pass-Catchers

Maiava has relied on a very young set of pass-catchers this season. Freshman Trent Mosley and Kayden Dixon-Wyatt are his two leading receivers through two games. Freshman receiver Tron Baker started alongside them in week 0 and freshman tight end Mark Bowman has started each of the first two games.

A talented group of Southern California natives that have proven to be no ordinary set of freshmen.
Boobie Feaster is another freshman that has factored into the receiver rotation early.

Maiava operated with urgency and invested a ton of time into bringing them along quickly. Their talent immediately stood out but it’s another important quality in them as a group that Maiava pointed to.

“They've been awesome. Their first day, you watch practice, it wouldn't look like it was their first day,” Maiava said. “That's just who they are. They came in with such a mature mindset. I think they know that there's a lot of area for us to clean up and get better at, obviously. But they're in love with the process, and we're all just buying into each other and ready to compete.”

Maiava's leadership skills have been on display with the quick development of USC's freshmen pass-catchers. He is the unquestioned leader of the team and has moved as such. Players have talked about the naturally soft-spoken individual from Hawaii has become a bigger voice on an and off the field.

A trip to New York as a finalist for the Heisman at the end of the season would certainly cement Maiava's legacy, but he and the USC faithful have their eyes on a bigger prize, the program's first trip to the College Football Playoff.

Sign up to our free newsletter and follow us on Facebook, and X for the latest news.

Add us as a preferred source on Google