Will 5-Star Quarterback Husan Longstreet Start As True Freshman For USC Trojans?

Corona Centennial (CA) five-star quarterback Husan Longstreet was the crown jewel of the USC Trojans 2025 recruiting class. Longstreet enrolled into school and December and will begin competing with Jayden Maiava for the starting quarterback spot in spring practice.

Centennial Huskies Quarterback Husan Longstreet (4) prepares to pass the ball at Liberty High School on Sept. 21, 2024, in Peoria. / Diannie Chavez/The Republic / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

Five-star quarterback Husan Longstreet was the crown jewel of the USC Trojans 2025 recruiting class. The Trojans were able to flip the highly touted local prospect from Texas A&M just weeks before the early national signing period. Longstreet was the No. 4 quarterback and No. 21 overall prospect in the On3 Industry Rankings.

Longstreet enrolled into school in December after graduating early from Corona Centennial High School (CA). He took part in bowl practice as USC prepared to face Texas A&M in Las Vegas and then traveled to Honolulu, Hawaii to compete in the Polynesian Bowl in January. 

The Trojans freshman signal-caller was a standout in practice all week. He showcased his arm strength and competitiveness by flinging a ball 78 yards to win the long ball competition. Longstreet followed up by completing 15 of 23 passes for 278 yards and four touchdown passes in the game and winning co-offensive MVP honors with Oregon five-star receiver Dakorien Moore. 

Centennial Huskies Quarterback Husan Longstreet (4) prepares to pass the ball at Liberty High School on Sept. 21, 2024, in Peoria. / Diannie Chavez/The Republic / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

Longstreet heads into spring practice next month and will compete with returning starting quarterback Jayden Maiava. Matt Barkley was the first true freshman in program history to start in the season opener in 2009. JT Daniels, another Mater Dei quarterback, graduated high school a year early and earned the starting job in camp as a true freshman in 2018.

Barkley and Daniels were both blue-chip five-star prospects that played their high school ball an hour away from campus, just like Longstreet. Kedon Slovis started 11 games a true freshman in 2019 after Daniels suffered a torn ACL in the season opener. The Arizona native claimed First Team All-Pac-12 and Pac-12 Freshman of the Year honors that season. Jaxson Dart started three games as a true freshman in 2021 as Slovis battled a series of injuries, and the Trojans interim staff played quarterback seesaw when Slovis was healthy.

Lincoln Riley raved about Longstreet earlier this month about why the Trojans were very high on him during the recruiting process. 

“The talent was pretty obvious, but really the intangibles are really what spoke to us," Riley said. "How to team oriented he was, how serious he was about his craft and really prioritizes that. Just his mentality and his willingness to do anything for the team just showed up. We really value that with our quarterbacks because they all take on a leadership role within your program."

"For us it didn’t really become much about anyone else, it’s more that we wanted Husan to be our quarterback and as time went on that became more and more clear to us and so we made the moves that we had to make to be able make that happen and ultimately you got to look out for the program and the best interest of it and obviously having the right quarterback here is a big priority and we absolutely feel like we got that," Riley continued.

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Maiava replaced Miller Moss as the starter in mid-November after a loss to Washington dropped the Trojans to 4-5. USC was in danger of missing a bowl game and turned to Maiava to help finish their season on a high note.

The Hawaii native accounted for all four touchdowns in a win over Nebraska. The following week against their crosstown rival UCLA, Maiava had an up-and-down performance but tossed the game-winning touchdown to receiver Ja’Kobi Lane midway through the fourth quarter. 

Nov 30, 2024; Los Angeles, California, USA; Southern California Trojans quarterback Jayden Maiava (14) throws against the Notre Dame Fighting Irish during the first half at the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum. Mandatory Credit: Gary A. Vasquez-Imagn Images / Gary A. Vasquez-Imagn Images

In a loss to Notre Dame, Maiava’s 360 passing yards were the most by any quarterback against the Irish this past season. He tossed three touchdowns but it was his two pick-sixes late in the fourth quarter that sealed the Trojans fate. 

Maiava overcame his three interceptions and a 17-point second half deficit against Texas A&M. The UNLV transfer threw four touchdown passes, including one to Kyle Ford with eight seconds remaining in regulation to pull off the 35-31 victory. Maiava went 3-1 as a starter.

“I think he’s gonna continue to progress and get better and better and we obviously have a ton of confidence in he and Husan and what that room has a chance to become,” Riley said in December. 

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