USC Faces One Massive Question With Quarterback Jayden Maiava

After a loss to Washington in early November 2024 dropped the USC Trojans to 4-5 and in danger of missing a bowl game, Lincoln Riley turned to quarterback Jayden Maiava to replace Miller Moss.

Overall, Maiava played well in his four starts, going 3-1, which included a win over crosstown rival UCLA and Texas A&M in the Las Vegas Bowl. But it came with plenty of concerns.

USC Trojans Lincoln Riley Big Ten Notre Dame Oregon Dante Moore Jayden Maiava Arch Manning Texas Tanook Hines Recruiting — Oct 11, 2025; Los Angeles, California, USA; USC Trojans quarterback Jayden Maiava (14) warms up prior to the game against the Michigan Wolverines at United Airlines Field at the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum. Mandatory Credit: Jayne Kamin-Oncea-Imagn Images | Jayne Kamin-Oncea-Imagn Images

Maiava accounted for all four touchdowns in his first start against Nebraska, but he also threw a pick-six and had a crucial fumble. Against Notre Dame in the season finale, he threw for the most yards of any quarterback against the Irish that season, but his two pick-sixes in the final minutes sealed the Trojans fate.

And in the bowl game, Maiava engineered a 17-point second half comeback, tossing four touchdowns, including the game-winner with eight seconds remaining on the clock, but his three interceptions were part of the reason USC fell behind. There were questions about whether he was the right quarterback for the Trojans or if he would beat out five-star freshman Husan Longstreet.

The Lincoln Riley Effect with Quarterbacks

He quickly answered those two questions by throwing for the most passing yards in the Big Ten, finishing second in the country in QBR and guiding the Trojans to a three-win increase in the regular season. The leap from year one to year two under Riley was massive, both in terms of his play on the field and leadership skills.

He proved the Lincoln Riley effect with quarterbacks was still real. And the question for next season becomes, can Maiava make another leap and establish himself as one of the premier quarterbacks in college football.

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Next spring projects to be one of the deeper quarterback draft classes in recent memory with names such as Texas’ Arch Manning, South Carolina’s LaNorris Sellers, Oregon’s Dante Moore, Ohio State’s Julian Sayin, Ole Miss' Trinidad Chambliss, LSU's Sam Leavitt and Oklahoma's John Mateer.

If Maiava can elevate to a another level, his name would certainly be in the mix to be one of the top quarterbacks off the board but it could also mean guiding USC to its first College Football Playoff berth.

In a critical year for the program’s future, the Trojans will go as far as Maiava takes them. There’s no question this is his team in 2026.

Maiava has started 31 games in his career between his time and UNLV and USC. At this point, almost nothing is new in terms of what he has been exposed to at the collegiate level with coverages, schemes, athletes and hostile road environments.

Now, it becomes about honing in on the details, continuing to work on playing smart football by eliminating turnovers and taking more command of the team. It's a daunting schedule in 2026 that features marquee matchups against Indiana, Ohio State and Oregon, the one, two and fifth seed in this past years College Football Playoff. Washington and Penn State can present their own challenges.

The first thing that can get the Trojans through it, is having a veteran quarterback that plays at an elite level and elevates the rest of the team. All five starters on the offensive line return in 2026, as does the Trojans two leading rushers in Waymond Jordan and King Miller. An experienced line and balanced offensive attack all bode well for Maiava.

Other than Tanook Hines and Zacharyus Williams, it’s largely a new-look receiver room that features NC State transfer Terrell Anderson, 2025 four-star recruits Corey Simms and Romeo Ison and an uber-talented group of freshman receivers, headlined by four-stars Kayden Dixon-Wyatt, Trent Mosley, Boobie Feaster and Luc Weaver. Five-star Mark Bowman leads a reshaped tight end room.

Depth in the Quarterback Room

USC is arguably in a better position at quarterback this season than they were last season.

Maiava has a full year as a starter under Riley and will go through his third spring period with the Trojans coach starting next month. Four-star freshman quarterback Williams is not the level of runner or pure athlete that Longstreet was but he is a more polished passer at this point in his career.

Sixth-year senior Sam Huard has been in college for another year and has a full year of being around Riley. He and Williams will battle for the No. 2 spot behind Maiava.

The Lincoln Riley Effect with Quarterbacks

Depth in the Quarterback Room

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