Jayden Maiava Leads the USC QB Competition

Jayden Maiava shows improvement as he fights to retain USC starting quarterback job

USC quarterback Jayden Maiava warms up during a game against Nebraska at the Coliseum.USC QB Jayden Maiava warms up vs Nebraska at the Coliseum. (Gina Ferazzi/LAT)

Ryan Kartje (LA Times)  —  When he was first announced as USC’s starting quarterback last November, Jayden Maiava stepped into a pretty thorny situation. The team already had rallied behind Miller Moss, who spent the previous three seasons earning teammates’ trust. Plus, he’d have only a few games to prove himself, and USC desperately needed immediate results.

“That’s a hard thing for anyone to do,” said wideout Ja’Kobi Lane, a close friend of Moss.

Those four starts, as uneven as they sometimes were, proved enough for Maiava to retain the title as the Trojans’ presumptive quarterback this spring, even as USC added five-star freshman Husan Longstreet and experienced transfer Sam Huard to the fold. But what’s happened in the three months since ultimately may say more about where Maiava is headed as a quarterback — and whether he’ll keep the job for good this season.

Maiava’s second act started in January with speculation that he was entertaining the idea of entering the transfer portal. But he brushed off that notion Tuesday.

“Shoot, the transfer portal is crazy nowadays,” Maiava said. “I usually just don’t pay any mind or attention to it. I just kind of go about my business and stay out the way.”

For Maiava, that meant spending as much time in the film room as possible. “Countless hours,” the quarterback said.

It was on film that he could see how often he got “happy feet” in the pocket during his first season at USC. He worked to pinpoint the reasons for head-scratching mistakes that seemed to follow him every week. Namely the back-breaking interceptions, three of which he threw in the bowl game. He was, as Lincoln Riley said Monday, “his own toughest critic.”

Though the coach was quick to point out that self-criticism was useful only to a point with Maiava.

USC coach Lincoln Riley talks with Trojans quarterback Jayden Maiava during a game against Nebraska.

Lincoln Riley talks with Trojans QB Jayden Maiava during the Nebraska game at the Coliseum on Nov. 16. (Gina Ferazzi/LAT)

“He’s a guy who sometimes he can almost overdo it,” Riley said. “He naturally has that ability to really be critical of himself, to really put everything he can into the areas he doesn’t. You’re never going to see him like, ‘Oh, I’m so good at this, I’m going to take it for granted and not put work into it.’ Like he’s the complete opposite of that. Which is great. He’s a driven worker and he wants to play a lot better for us than he did last year. And he played pretty darn good. So that’s a pretty good sign.”

Maiava still will have to compete through preseason camp, Riley clarified, if only because “there always has to be a competition.”

“Now does Jayden come in a step ahead in experience and all that of the other guys in the room? Of course he does,” Riley said Monday during the “Trojans Live” radio show. “But the best guy is going to play, and that’s, to me, No. 1 and that should always be the case.”

Longstreet may be the most likely to push Maiava, given his pedigree coming out of Corona Centennial High. He also spent as much time as he could at USC’s bowl practices, soaking it all in.

That extra work and time has paid off.

“He’s way further ahead than most guys would be at this age,” Riley said. “His ability to communicate and manage the group right now as a young guy is pretty impressive.”

Where that may come naturally to Longstreet, it’s been an adjustment for Maiava since stepping into the starting role. But teammates and coaches have noticed a major difference since last season.

“You certainly see him just more confident, more assertive as a leader and a player now,” Riley said. “That’s what we need him to be.”

Whether that’s enough to keep the job as USC’s quarterback, only time will tell.

“He’s definitely stepped into more of a leadership role, more of a vocal role,” sophomore tight end Walker Lyons said. “It’s very helpful for our team.”

Five-star freshman’s first impression

As Jahkeem Stewart made his way up the tunnel Tuesday for his first spring practice at USC, it was hard not to marvel at the hulking, 17-year old defensive end.

At 6 feet 6 and 290 pounds, Stewart should “no doubt” have an opportunity to contribute this season, Riley said. The question is how quickly he’ll be able to pick up USC’s defense.

“He’s in the facility darn near all day now,” Riley said. “He’s got the talent to [make an impact], and now it’s just going to be putting in the work and building him up to be a consistent enough player to trust to put him out there on Saturday.”

Etc.

Defensive end Anthony Lucas is expected to miss most of spring as he continues to recover from a lower leg injury that cost him the second half of last season.

latimes.com

___________

TrojanDailyBlog members —  We always encourage you to add factual information, insight, divergent opinions, or new topics to the TDB that don’t necessarily pertain to any particular moderator post or member comment.

 

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Trojanfanatic
Noble Genius
Trojanfanatic
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March 27, 2025 6:01 pm

Late to the Jayden discussion. Yes there’s many areas where Maiava can improve. I agree that he can tuck the ball and use that athleticism he has, instead of firing into closing windows. Yes he must make better decisions, but how about leaning on Riley to grow out of this simpleton, one dimensional offense that brings any semblance of game / clock management to its knees. Look at the diverse power offenses we watched during the cfb playoffs. What were we ranked like 7 or 8 in passing attempts right there with Texas Tech, Hawaii, Rice and some other air… Read more »

usc50
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usc50
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March 28, 2025 11:48 am
Reply to  Trojanfanatic

This post makes a lot of sense.
Riley got his reputation as an air raid coach,
But now he has to learn to be a head coach.
If the defense KNOWS you are going to pass it makes it harder.
If Riley could learn to somehow balance the run in. to make
his offense less predictable.
Not that I know much about football but just a fan observation.

TrojanMPA90
Noble Genius
TrojanMPA90
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March 26, 2025 8:07 pm

We need Jayden to step up and make plays but also reduce his turnovers. If he can do that and run the offense efficiently we’ll win more games than last year. He needs to get good protection and use his playmakers. He did this in the Vegas Bowl so we know he can do it.

If we are starting Longstreet, that could be a sign of trouble or that Longstreet is ready in Riley’s mind.

Should be an interesting spring camp.

Jamaica
Major Genius
Jamaica
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March 26, 2025 6:35 pm

If Jayden will only learn to tuck the ball and run with it or throw the ball away into the sidelines if he sees his receivers/ TB all covered, he will be a better QB. Refuse to throw possible picks and he benefits not only the offense keeping the ball but the defense having to possibly defend a short field.

Steveg
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Steveg
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March 27, 2025 3:30 pm
Reply to  Allen Wallace

Does he seem like he lacks self confidence in his play, or is he just afraid he is going to screw up? He makes me nervous too.

Steveg
Major Genius
Steveg
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March 27, 2025 6:55 pm
Reply to  Allen Wallace

Think Moss was better in the beginning then he became gunshy and not so confident in his line and himself. Maiava has room to improve, I hope he does or we may see another freshman come in.

parcelman007
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parcelman007
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March 28, 2025 3:50 am
Reply to  Allen Wallace

Here’s my pros and cons about Maiava: Pros: He has a shotgun for an arm. He’s fairly good with his feet although not a dual QB. The Texas A&M QB was a true dual QB. He’s productive. They seem to win with him in there. They were losing with Moss and then they put him in there and they went 3-1 and aside from his pic sickes he torched the ND pass defense like no other QB last year in his only loss. In his first 16 games at the college level he’s thrown for 4286 yards. That’s 268 yards… Read more »

parcelman007
Noble Genius
parcelman007
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March 28, 2025 10:47 am
Reply to  Allen Wallace

You said “LR’s got an awful lot of QB success under his belt” but my question is whether he still coaching the QB’s or does he just wander around the field checking out different position groups while Huard coaches the QB’s. LR needs to devote his time to the QB’s as he used to do. He’s got great position coaches. They don’t need his help. They don’t need him watching over them. Also, Sam Huard was once a 5 star in high school. That means he, at least, has potential to be a star at this level. Max Brown was… Read more »

parcelman007
Noble Genius
parcelman007
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March 26, 2025 5:14 pm

The new O-Lin recruit Chase Deniz……..They must see something in him that nobody else sees. I don’t see any big schools going after him. His film looks good.

Golden Trojan
Major Genius
March 26, 2025 10:19 pm
Reply to  Allen Wallace

Cathedral Catholic is one of the top sports schools in SD. Could be a great catch.

parcelman007
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parcelman007
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March 27, 2025 3:00 am
Reply to  Allen Wallace

hopefully he’s a real sleeper

Golden Trojan
Major Genius
March 27, 2025 7:25 am
Reply to  parcelman007

All these ’26 guys still have their senior season to either step up some more or not do much more.

parcelman007
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parcelman007
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March 27, 2025 11:23 am
Reply to  Golden Trojan

Very true

Steveg
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Steveg
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March 27, 2025 3:33 pm
Reply to  Golden Trojan

This is when the 3 stars become 4 stars, the commit to USC will raise his stature for some reason.

parcelman007
Noble Genius
parcelman007
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March 27, 2025 11:22 am
Reply to  Allen Wallace

He gets out of his stance in a hurry at the snap of the ball if you watch his films .What you say makes sense.

Golden Trojan
Major Genius
March 27, 2025 11:28 am
Reply to  Allen Wallace

I wonder who contacted who to get this started. It’s a great example of mining/minding your own backyard. Looking for gems nobody has found yet. His mom is softball coach at SDSU, she was a Bruin. SDSU is now relegated to the minor leagues of college sports. An Athletic Dept budget of $100Million (USC $200+million) and NIL of $2 million (USC $20+ million).

parcelman007
Noble Genius
parcelman007
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March 27, 2025 11:28 am
Reply to  Allen Wallace

If you’re going to bring in 35 in a class they aren’t going to all be 4 and 5 stars. These 3 stars are the ones you really need to make great evaluations on. If you have enough outstanding players out there, the competition will cause stars to step up and up their game to greatness at every position.

Steveg
Major Genius
Steveg
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March 27, 2025 3:32 pm
Reply to  Allen Wallace

They are going for a ton of guys and we need the three star players who can be coached up to compete. Builds a program.

RialtoTrojan
Major Genius
RialtoTrojan
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March 26, 2025 9:14 am

What a fun time for USC fans- Baseball, Basketball and Spring Football. I was reading comments yesterday and said to my wife, “You know what is important by what is being written in the comments on a sports blog. Here we have a story about a 19 year old female basketball player being injured and most of comments are about spring football.” And she said to me, “So, who’s the quarterback going to be?” In years past it would have been simply automatic to assume the number one non graduating quarterback at the end of last season would be the… Read more »

Golden Trojan
Major Genius
March 26, 2025 4:10 pm
Reply to  RialtoTrojan

Ha! Good one! You try to talk about anything but football here and it’s crickets. USC has an elite WBB program even without Juju. I hope we see the same team Saturday that tore it up after she left on Monday.
The more at ease Maiava is with the playbook the better decisions he will make. Especially if he can audible out of another pass play to a run the better the team will do.

volunteerTrojan
Major Genius
March 26, 2025 9:49 am
Reply to  Allen Wallace

Marvin Harrison had about 130 alone. Without his stats (I know, that’s a flawed premise), USC is right there in the hunt.