USC Trojans' Jayden Maiava Snubbed In Big Ten Quarterback Rankings?

Despite winning three of his last four starts as the USC Trojans’ quarterback last season, Jayden Maiava appears to be flying under the national radar – especially in the eyes of CBS Sports college football analyst Josh Pate.

Pate ranked the top 10 quarterbacks in the Big Ten and Maiava was placed seventh.

Above Maiava are No. 1 Penn State’s Drew Allar, No. 2 Ohio State’s Julian Sayin, No. 3 Oregon’s Dante Moore, No. 4 Washington’s Demond Williams, No. 5 Illinois’s Luke Altmeyer and No. 6 Nebraska’s Dylan Railioa.

Nov 30, 2024; Los Angeles, California, USA; Southern California Trojans quarterback Jayden Maiava (14) throws the ball against the Notre Dame Fighting Irish in the first half at United Airlines Field at Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum. Mandatory Credit: Kirby Lee-Imagn Images | Kirby Lee-Imagn Images

Despite three of the six teams making College Football Playoff appearances, a lot of the listed above Maiava are quarterbacks who have not started in a conference – or any – game and are all “expected” to be a game-changing aspect to their offense.

Ohio State’s Julian Sayin, who ranked second on Pate’s list, has appeared in four games for the national champions and threw no more than five attempts in each game. While starting quarterback Will Howard took the reins for the Buckeyes offense last season, Sayin has a lot more to prove post-championship.

As for Dante Moore – ranked third – was a backup quarterback at UCLA, and then transferred to Oregon to become a backup to Heisman Trophy finalist Dillon Gabriel. Although Moore caught some snaps and made some flashes here and there, his resume is hard to compare to someone like Maiava who has three wins as a starter, including a postseason game win against a solid SEC opponent.

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While Maiava only started a few games at the helm of the offense, his performances were promising to Trojan fans that he could very well be Lincoln Riley’s go-to signal caller this season.

Maiava originally transferred from UNLV after his freshman season in 2023, where he led the Rebels to their most wins since 1984 and their first-ever Mountain West Championship appearance. He was recruited by Riley for his highly rated signal-calling ability and to add another talented quarterback to the room.

What makes Maiava stand out is not his performance on the practice field or his highlight reel when first recruited, Maiava has real game experience and displayed that he can fit in with Riley’s offense, especially entering year two in the Big Ten.

Dec 27, 2024; Las Vegas, NV, USA; Southern California Trojans quarterback Jayden Maiava (14) throws the ball against Texas A&M Aggies defensive lineman Cashius Howell (18) in the first half at Allegiant Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Kirby Lee-Imagn Images | Kirby Lee-Imagn Images

He appeared in seven games with four starts and delivered strong performances against some difficult opponents on the Trojans’ schedule.

One of Maiava’s best performances came from one of his first starting appearances on the gridiron against Nebraska. He threw 25 of 35 and completed 259 passing yards and 3 touchdowns. Against Texas A&M in the Las Vegas Bowl, Maiava threw 22 for 39 with 4 TD’s and 360 passing yards to lead the Trojans to a postseason win.

It’s safe to say Maiava is under ranked based on his performance, skill level and resume as a quarterback who was given a chance to lead Riley’s offense at the end of the season.

Lincoln Riley and Jayden Maiava — Nov 16, 2024; Los Angeles, California, USA; Southern California Trojans head coach Lincoln Riley greets quarterback Jayden Maiava (14) after scoring a touchdown against the Nebraska Cornhuskers during the second half at the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum. Mandatory Credit: Gary A. Vasquez-Imagn Images | Gary A. Vasquez-Imagn Images

When Maiava was being transitioned in as their starting quarterback, Riley expressed giving him a chance because of the player he is, as well as being capable of taking on the role.

"When we went back and looked at it, we felt like it was in the best interest of the team to give Jayden a chance here," Riley told ESPN. "This is not a reflection of anything more than we have another good player in the room and we feel like he gives us a good opportunity. ... It's really that simple."

Maiava is the projected starter for the 2025 season and will look to carry his successful 2024 ending into the Trojan’s second season in the Big Ten.

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