After USC swapped out starting quarterback Miller Moss for redshirt junior Jayden Maiava near the end of last season, the Trojans went 6-1, including a 35-31 Las Vegas Bowl victory over Texas A&M.
Maiava’s success last year — plus Moss’s transfer to Louisville — has positioned him to take on the starting job full-time this season.
“He is more confident, more self assured in every way, as a player, as a leader, commanding the offense,” head coach Lincoln Riley said Tuesday, in a video posted to Twitter from USC’s Big Ten Football Preview. “He's not a different person, but it's like a totally different version of him right now. It's fun to see that confidence.”
"He's not a different person, but it's like a totally different version of him right now."
— USC on BTN (@USConBTN) August 20, 2025
Lincoln Riley on QB Jayden Maiava’s growth as both a player and leader for @uscfb 💪 pic.twitter.com/A6Wz6Hx6Qh
The quarterback threw 1,201 yards for 59.8% completion and 11 touchdowns last season, his first under Riley. Maiava’s year two won’t officially kick off until USC hosts Missouri State Aug. 30, but Riley’s noticed a difference in his attitude since his first season with the Trojans.
“You see his personality really coming out, whereas last year he was just really reserved and was just kind of trying to figure it all out and not step out of place and not make mistakes,” Riley said. “And now it's just, you just kind of see that, that swagger and confidence, and I think our guys are feeding off that right now.”
Maiava redshirted in 2022 at UNLV. The following season, he led the program to its most wins since 1984 (39 years) and first-ever Mountain West Championship appearance under current Purdue first-year head coach Barry Odom. While starting all 14 games, Maiava threw 3,085 yards for 63.5% completion with 17 touchdowns.
📲 Follow The Sporting News on WhatsApp
The quarterback’s performance in 2023 earned him both Mountain West Freshman of the Year and College Football Network Freshman Quarterback of the Year honors. He won conference Freshman of the Week five times, a Mountain West record.
This season Maiava must lead the Trojans through a schedule with four games against ranked opponents, three of which take place on consecutive weeks midseason. USC will face No. 12 Illinois (Week 5), No. 6 Notre Dame (Week 7) and No. 7 Oregon (Week 11) on the road, and host No. 13 Michigan in Week 6.