“The big thing for us is to just build a roster that doesn’t have to be too reliant on the spring portal,” Lincoln Riley said in April. “I certainly feel like there’s less needs on this football team than maybe in some of the years past when we’ve got to this point.” Contrary to popular opinion, this only means USC is high on who they have under center, which is Jayden Maiava.
Lincoln Riley, the QB whisperer who molded three Heisman winners in Caleb Williams, Kyler Murray, and Baker Mayfield, let a 3,469-yard QB walk after benching him in favor of the UNLV transfer. Yeah, despite flashing brilliance in 2024 after sitting behind Williams for two years, Miller Moss dipped into the portal to join Louisville. “There comes a point where there’s a time to move on to new opportunities, and I’m hoping to better myself as a person and a player,” he told ESPN. And in return, USC is rolling the dice on Jayden Maiava.
In a new episode of Cover 3 Podcast on June 6, USC insider Ryan Abraham joined Bud Elliott to discuss the Trojans’ offense heading into 2025. And of course, it began with the QB talk. “With Miller Moss gone, we didn’t know if Lincoln Riley would go into the portal and bring a big-time transfer in and ended up not doing that,” he began. Though Riley couldn’t land 5-star QB Julian Lewis, they have Husan Longstreet and Jonas Williams lined up, and Maiava will lead the team this season.
Abraham added, “I think they’ve been all in on Jayden Maiava, and it just seemed when they brought him in from UNLV, there was a lot of aspects of his game that Lincoln Riley and the staff liked and he was kind of you know the high-ceiling guy but also a pretty low floor.” This is the problem. In the Big Ten, you can’t bank a season on upside alone where defenses are formidable and patience is thin.
Miller Moss wasn’t perfect. But he was USC’s best option. In nine games in 2024, he threw for 2,555 yards and 18 TDs while completing 64.4 percent of his passes. He also added 914 yards across three seasons as a backup to total up to 3,469 career passing yards at USC. But after a brutal five-week stretch filled with close losses and critical turnovers, Lincoln Riley benched him before the Nebraska game and handed the keys to Jayden Maiava.
Miller Moss wasn’t some backup who stumbled into the spotlight. He was a former top-50 recruit and was loyal. He also balled out when it mattered, such as when he scored six TDs in his Holiday Bowl debut, winning 42-28 against Louisville. And in 2024, he still led the Big Ten in passing yards per game, even while USC sputtered to a 7–6 finish. So let’s call it what it is. Losing a program vet is a risky bet. And who knows, it might be Lincoln Riley’s most costly miscalculation yet. But he’s out there laying expectations on his QB1.
Lincoln Riley is high on Jayden Maiava
With Miller Moss out and no transfer QB swooping in to save the day, a new era is officially underway at USC. Jayden Maiava went 3–1 in four starts to end 2024, flashing potential but also showing his raw edges, from game-breaking throws to backbreaking picks, six interceptions in four games (three against Texas A&M alone). But Lincoln Riley has dropped a promising health update.
Speaking to Greg McElroy on Always College Football, he revealed that Maiava’s lingering knee issue is behind him. “Physically, he came in with a little bit of a knee issue last year, and that’s all cleared up, so he’s been able to really train,” Lincoln Riley said. “So I think he’s going to move around better for us this year. But if we can trim a few of those decisions off, which I certainly believe that we can, this guy’s got a chance to be elite.”
That’s the tag Jayden Maiava is carrying. People expect him to be elite, to be the worthy successor. He finished last season with 1,201 passing yards, 11 touchdowns, six picks, and four rushing scores.
Jayden Maiava will need to bring balance, decisiveness, and better decision-making to the table to prove Lincoln Riley’s words right. Because USC opens 2025 against Missouri State, and early stumbles won’t be a good look.
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