Huard Reportedly Has One More Year of Eligibility

We apparently haven't seen the last of Sam Huard in the college football ranks.

The one-time University of Washington quarterback and 5-star recruit from Bellevue, Washington -- now at USC -- can play a sixth season after reportedly receiving a waiver to proceed if he wants, according to the Los Angeles Times.

The school has not made any official pronouncement just yet whether Huard intends to return.

Yet the left-hander presumably picked up an added year of eligibility after spending the 2024 season at Utah, getting injured and not appearing in any games.

Previously, he spent two seasons at the UW, redshirting as a freshman in 2021; one at Cal Poly, where he was a nine-game starter in 2023; then on to Utah for his lost season; and last year with the Trojans, where he appeared briefly in two games.

Most memorably, Huard became sort of a cult hero at USC for pulling on a jersy number different than his own, lining up at punter and throwing a fourth-down pass against Northwestern in a game still in question.

Sam Huard (7) looks to pass against the Washington State in the 2021 Apple Cup. | Joe Nicholson-Imagn Images

In the USC upcoming quarterback competition, Huard would join senior Jayden Maiava, the returning starter; and complete with Jonas Williams, an incoming freshman from Frankfort, Illinois, to be the back-up.

Last year's Maiva understudy, redshirt freshman Husan Longstreet, has entered the transfer portal, creating a quarterback shuffle behind the starter.

USC redshirt senior quarterback Sam Huard actually has an additional season of eligibility — his sixth — and will give the Trojans a third capable scholarship QB in 2026, with Husan Longstreet in the portal.

Huard was granted a waiver at a prior school.
— Ryan Kartje (@RyanKartje) January 9, 2026

Much more was expected from Huard, a UW legacy signal-caller whose father Damon and uncle Brock were Husky and NFL quarterbacks, when he entered the college ranks because of all of his passing numbers and ratings.

While there's still time for him to play meaningful snaps somewhere, it likely won 't happen at USC unless Maiava runs into injury issues.

Here's wondering if Huard would have attempted a UW return had junior Demond Williams Jr. stayed with Williams' plans to transfer out after starting all 13 games in 2025 and two more the season before for the Huskies.

Huard, of course, started once as a UW true freshman and was on the short end of a 40-13 loss to Washington State in the 2021 Apple Cup, throwing four interceptions in Husky Stadium that day for a team with an interim coach. Jimmy Lake was suspended and then fired as the head coach.

Overall, Huard has 10 starts counting his time at Cal Poly, an FCS school in the Big Sky, and holds a 3-7 record.

IN CASE YOU MISSED IT: