USC Trojans' Lincoln Riley Evaluates Quarterbacks: Jayden Maiava To Start In 2025?

The USC Trojans added five-star Husan Longstreet to the quarterback room but lost redshirt junior Miller Moss to the transfer portal. Coach Lincoln Riley addressed the future of the quarterback room with redshirt sophomore Jayden Maiava leading the charge.

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

USC Trojans coach Lincoln Riley turned to redshirt sophomore quarterback Jayden Maiava following a loss to Washington on Nov. 2 that dropped them to 4-5 on the season. Maiava needed to guide to the Trojans to wins in two of their final three games to become bowl eligible. 

The UNLV transfer led USC to a win over Nebraska on Nov. 16 when he accounted for all four touchdowns and then he helped the Trojans reclaim the Victory Bell against crosstown rival UCLA when he tossed the game-winning touchdown to sophomore receiver Ja’Kobi Lane. Maiava played well against No. 5 Notre Dame this past weekend when threw for 360 yards and three touchdowns, but his two pick-sixes in the final minutes sealed the game for the Irish.

Overall, Maiava played a lot of good football and did exactly what he needed to do for the Trojans to extend their season. He will head into spring practice as the favorite to be the Trojans starting quarterback in 2025.

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

“I have a lot of confidence in Jayden, he played well, led us to two big victories and I thought really put us in great position, that was statistically the No. 1 passing defense the other day he did a pretty good job against,” Riley said. “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 (Longstreet)and what that room has a chance to become. We’re gonna put a lot of emphasis, put a lot of reps, put a lot of time into those two guys and on top of their skillset I just love the way those two are wired.”

With redshirt junior quarterbacks Miller Moss and Jake Jensen entering the transfer portal this week, the USC quarterback room got very thin for the 2025 season. The Trojans signed Corona Centennial (CA) five-star quarterback Husan Longstreet for the 2025 cycle thanks to a strong relationship with his primary recruiter, quarterback coach Luke Huard. However, the Trojans are in serious need of a third quarterback and will look to the portal to add the necessary depth. 

“Excited about the two guys we got returning, really excited about the way Jayden played in the last three, particularly the way he play a couple of days ago” Riley said. “Really excited to bring in Husan into our program. That was just something as that whole scenario played out it became very clear to us that we wanted him to be the quarterback in this program for a lot of different reasons, specifically his mental makeup and his commitment to the team and commitment to wanting to be great and so I can’t wait to add him to the room. In some form or fashion we’ll need to add a third guy. Coach (Luke) Huard, the rest of our staff we’ll be diving into that heavily and find someone to come help fill out the room.

“I think Luke did a really great job continuing to maintain a great relationship with Husan and his family, even at the point when we had another player committed at the position. I think as that relationship begun to grow, you’re always constantly evaluating these guys, just like they’re constantly evaluating schools, but that goes both ways. This was really about Husan, the more we got to know him, got to evaluate him, the more that we got to see his mental makeup, how team oriented he was, how serious he was about the game. We just felt like in the end there wasn’t a better fit for us and that’s eventually why we made the decisions we’ve made,” Riley said.”

Longstreet will take part in bowl practice in a couple of weeks but will not be eligible to suit up for the game. The Trojans will need to find a backup quarterback for Maiava.

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