USC Trojans' Lincoln Riley Sees Change in Quarterback Jayden Maiava

Lincoln Riley spoke to the media after USC practice on Wednesday about Maiava getting the starting nod.

“I think he would say he feels like it’s his team,” Riley said. “I think he knows the guys better, he knows what he’s doing as a player better....We challenged him as coaches pretty heavily...He's responded."

Maiava started his collegiate career in 2023 with the UNLV Rebels. As a freshman, he played in 14 games, throwing for 3,085 yards, 17 touchdowns, and 10 interceptions while also rushing for 277 yards and three touchdowns on the ground. Maiava entered the portal after the season and transferred to USC.

In 2024 with the Trojans, Jayden Maiava began the season as the backup quarterback to Miller Moss. After USC’s struggles, Coach Lincoln Riley benched Miller Moss prior to their November game against the Nebraska Cornhuskers. This gave Maiava the starting job.

Maiava started the final four games of the season for USC, going 3-1 including a Las Vegas Bowl victory over the Texas A&M Aggies. For the season, Maiava threw for 1,201 yards, 11 touchdowns, and six interceptions while adding another 45 rushing yards and four rushing touchdowns. 

USC Trojans Quarterback Room

Jayden Maiava is now in his second season in Los Angeles, except this time he is heading into the Trojans week one matchup as the starter. Maiava spoke to the media this week about what things have been like in the Trojans quarterback room as the season approaches.

"We all have chemistry within the quarterback room right now," Maiava said. "We love to make each other better. Our guys compete every single day. We're in a room watching film together every day. I think that's the huge thing for us is just they all have the same mindset in terms of being there to deliver."

One of the quarterbacks USC has on the roster this season is freshman Husan Longstreet. Longstreet is the highly touted five-star recruit out of Corona, California. He is far and away the highest rated recruit in USC's 2026 class. Longstreet was ranked by 247Sports as the No. 4 quarterback in his class.

The third quarterback in the Trojans room is Sam Huard. Huard is now at his fourth different college since beginning his career with the Washington Huskies in 2021. Since then, he has had stints with the Cal Poly Mustangs and Utah Utes. For his career, Huard has played in 14 games, throwing for 2,470 yards, 19 touchdowns, and 14 interceptions.