Should USC Quarterback Jayden Maiava Enter the NFL Draft or Return to School

USC Trojans redshirt junior quarterback Jayden Maiava will face a tough decision when the season ends at the end of this month, declare for the NFL Draft or return to Southern Cal for one more year.

Nov 7, 2025; Los Angeles, California, USA; Southern California Trojans quarterback Jayden Maiava (14) leaves the field following the victory against the Northwestern Wildcats at the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum. | Gary A. Vasquez-Imagn Images

USC redshirt junior quarterback Jayden Maiava will have a tough decision to make when the Trojans finish the season on Dec. 30 against TCU in the Alamo Bowl. 

Maiava has drawn interest from the NFL this season but the Trojans signal-caller does have one more year of eligibility. So, should Maiava enter his name into the draft or return to Los Angeles for one more season? 

Pros to Entering the NFL Draft 

Oct 18, 2025; South Bend, Indiana, USA; Southern California Trojans quarterback Jayden Maiava (14) passes the ball against the Notre Dame Fighting Irish during the first half at Notre Dame Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Michael Caterina-Imagn Images | Michael Caterina-Imagn Images

Heading into the fall, quarterback was expected to be one of the biggest strengths of the 2026 NFL Draft with names like Texas’ Arch Manning, LSU’s Garrett Nussmeier, South Carolina’s LaNorris Sellers, Clemson’s Cade Klubnik, Arizona State's Sam Leavitt, Oklahoma's John Mateer and Penn State’s Drew Allar. 

None of that came to fruition. Of those names mentioned, they will very likely return to school or have seen their stock plummet during this season. Instead, some new names have emerged. 

Indiana’s Fernando Mendoza and Oregon’s Dante Moore, if he decides to leave Eugene, will be the first quarterback’s off the board, which will almost assuredly be in the top 3-5 picks. 

Moore does have a limited number of starts and many expect Oregon to make a competitive offer to keep him in Eugene.

Alabama’s Ty Simpson will be someone to monitor. In his first season as a starter, Simpson looked like someone that will undoubtedly be a top 5 pick for two months but has struggled as of late. Similar to Moore, the tools are there, and they are impressive but the track record of one-year starters in the NFL isn’t great. The lure of being a top five pick can be very intriguing, especially considering what has happened to once promising quarterback prospects this year that went back to school.

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Bottom line, it’s a weak class after the first couple of guys that Maiava can take advantage of. Maiava could become a late day 1 to day 2 pick. And if Moore and Simpson don't declare, the quarterback market for the first two days could be very thin.

Maiava made tremendous strides in his second year with Lincoln Riley. He became the unquestioned leader at USC and had more command of the offense, which led to an improved performance on the field. 

Maiava leads the nation in QBR with a 91.2 and leads the Big Ten in passing yards (3,431), passing yards per game (285.9), passing yards per completion (13.89) and total offense (298.4). His athleticism was on full display with six rushing touchdowns this season. And his completion percentage jumped from 59.8 percent in 2024 to 66.2 percent in 2025. 

He has great measurables at 6-foot-4 and 225 pounds. Maiava has 30 starts under his belt and 855 pass attempts over the last three seasons with UNLV and USC. 

His maturity, humbleness and football IQ would make a strong impression on NFL decision makers in the spring, which will help him shoot up draft boards. His strong arm will jump off the screen in front of a national audience at the Scouting Combine and as we have seen in the past, the four-day extravaganza in Indianapolis can earn a prospect millions of dollars.

Benefits to Returning to USC

Nov 15, 2025; Los Angeles, California, USA; Southern California Trojans quarterback Jayden Maiava (14) throws against the Iowa Hawkeyes during the first half at the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum. Mandatory Credit: Gary A. Vasquez-Imagn Images | Gary A. Vasquez-Imagn Images

Reps, reps and more reps, which is something every quarterback needs before they make the leap to the professional ranks. 

And learning from someone like Riley, who has produced three Heisman Trophy winners that became No. 1 overall picks and a Super Bowl MVP in Jalen Hurts, for another year doesn’t hurt. 

This version of Maiava is trending upwards but could still use some more tuning and another year of seeing defenses at the collegiate level would be beneficial for his long-term development.

His decision making still needs work. After not throwing an interception through the first four games, he proceeded to throw one in each of the next six games and then had a two-interception performance at the end of the year against Oregon, which highlighted his struggles on the road. 

And then there's the team side of it, which Maiava has made very clear is a high priority. The Trojans roster will undoubtedly be much better in 2026 than it was this season, even with receivers Makai Lemon and most likely Ja'Kobi Lane set to move onto the NFL.

All five of his offensive linemen will be back, as well as the top two running backs in Waymond Jordan and King Miller. Freshman receiver Tanook Hines and sophomore tight end Walker Lyons, two breakout stars will return. It's an impressive recruiting class headed to Los Angeles, highlighted by four-star receivers Boobie Feaster, Kayden Dixon-Wyatt and Trent Mosley, and five-star tight end Mark Bowman and four-star Josiah Jefferson, the No. 1 rated JUCO tight end.

It was a roster that was very young across the board and was hit hard by injuries this season. Player development at USC has taken a massive step up, compared to where it was in the past, so there is a high hope that those young players that played an important role will take that next step and several players will be healthier next season.

How Jayden Maiava's Decision Impacts Husan Longstreet 

Aug 30, 2025; Los Angeles, California, USA; Southern California Trojans quarterback Husan Longstreet (4) carries the ball against the Missouri State Bears in the second half at United Airlines Field at Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum. Mandatory Credit: Kirby Lee-Imagn Images | Kirby Lee-Imagn Images

Husan Longstreet arrived on campus as a highly touted five-star quarterback recruit at this exact time a year ago. The Corona Centennial (Calif.) product flashed his talent when he saw extended playing time in the Trojans blowout wins in week 1 and 2.  

Riley experimented using Longstreet in designed packages in the red zone for a couple of conference games. Longstreet appeared in just four games, meaning he will still have four years of eligibility remaining.

Longstreet is certainly not someone that will shy away from competition and he flipped his commitment from Texas A&M to USC in the weeks leading up to signing day last cycle because he wants to be quarterback at Southern Cal.

But if Maiava returns the school, Longstreet will continue pushing Maiava in the spring and fall camp until he gets an opportunity, but it will be Maiava who is the starting quarterback when the 2026 campaign begins. Does Longstreet want to go to a school where he would definitely be the starter.

And because there is only one transfer portal period that will open on Jan. 2 until Jan. 16, its a decision that will be coming in the very near future.