Looks like Trojans are walking a tightrope with no cleats. Last season, Lincoln Riley gambled, benching Miller Moss for Jayden Maiava during a rough patch. With few games remaining, Maiava faced immense pressure: perform quickly or fail. His final four games showed potential mixed with inconsistency. Despite adding Husan Longstreet and Sam Huard, Riley seems committed to Maiava as the starter. However, serious flaws remain. And unless USC makes significant improvements, they could stumble again, leaving Riley with no easy solution.
Look, Jayden Maiava’s run with the Trojans is a bittersweet one. And Lincoln Riley’s unshaken belief in him almost confirms his role this season. “Now does Jayden come in a step ahead in experience and all that compared to the other guys in the room? Of course he does,” Riley said. “But the best guy is going to play.” And cut to next: after 13 practices, the best guy still remains the same for him, and that’s Maiava. And that’s exactly what Joe DeLeone is highlighting on The Ruffino & Joe Show.
“I was stunned by how Lincoln Riley spoke so confidently and said, ‘Jaden’s clearly the number one quarterback right now.’ And it motivated me to pull up some film on how Maiava played at the end of [the] season last year. And first and foremost, I thought that Maiava brought a different play style to the offense that they needed early on, and they finished the year strong because Maiava was a bigger, stronger, more physical athlete than Miller Moss was.” Joe said. Well, that’s true to some extent. Being at 6’4 and 220 lbs last season, Jayden had a pretty decent run, passing for 1,201 yards with 11 TDs and 6 interceptions. But the only concern is his completion rate, which is 59.8%.
And even Joe is worried about the same. He said, “But as I was watching the Texas A&M game, I was just hoping for more. I was watching him and hoping for the big play. I was watching and hoping for the ‘all right, when does he take the top off of a defense?’ And I couldn’t help but feel anxiety the entire time I was watching him, because he is all over the place.” In his game against Texas A&M, this guy completed just 22 out of 39 passes for 295 yards with 4 TDs and 3 costly interceptions. Now, the Aggies did win the game, but Maiava’s inconsistencies were showing.
Jayden Maiava had eight turnover-worthy plays in his four games last season. And that’s not something Lincoln Riley and the Aggies want to repeat this season. But if not Maiava, then who? Well, for Joe it’s Husan Longstreet. “I’m saying this to say—I don’t know if it should be this clear-cut: Jayden Maiava starts. Part of me wonders, as they’re gearing up and they’re recruiting really, really well—with this 2026 class, if it doesn’t make sense for them to start Husan Longstreet, who is incredibly talented,” Joe said. “Part of me thinks, seeing how some of these other very gifted young quarterbacks did last year, that it might benefit them.”
Now, Joe isn’t wrong when he says Longstreet is a talented player. This guy excelled as a 2025 Polynesian Bowl All-Star, delivering a stellar senior season in 2024 despite injury. He completed 109 of 165 passes (66.1%) for 1,641 yards and 19 touchdowns, adding 494 rushing yards and 6 more scores. Leading Centennial to the CIF-SS semifinals, he earned a MaxPreps 2024 California All-State First Team spot. Preseason accolades from MaxPreps and Cal-Hi Sports preceded a season capped by a third-place finish and Day 1 MVP honors at the 2024 Elite 11.
But in the middle of this, Lincoln Riley’s team is hit with another storm.
Lincoln Riley’s team is facing a big blow
When Lincoln Riley joined USC in 2021, he quickly made changes, bringing four key Oklahoma staffers, including strength coach Bennie Wylie. Their four-year Oklahoma partnership continued for three seasons at USC.
However, just three days after spring practice ended, Riley announced Wylie’s departure as director of football sports performance. A source, speaking anonymously, called it a “strictly a football decision,” emphasizing Wylie’s continued respect within the program and strong player relationships, crucial to many players’ development.
“We are grateful for the many contributions Coach Wylie has made to our program through the last three seasons,” Riley said, talking about Wylie’s departure. “He has been an outstanding role model to our young men. This is a difficult decision, but we are committed to positioning our football program to compete for national championships as we continue to move forward into the 2025 season and beyond.”
The timing surprised many. USC players had already completed three months of offseason training under Wylie. However, a source confirmed Wylie’s departure wasn’t due to any conflict or disciplinary action. Coach Riley simply made a strategic football decision regarding the program’s direction.
Wylie boasts an impressive background. He played running back at Sam Houston State, then headed strength programs at Texas (2011-13), Tennessee (2010), and Texas Tech (2003-09), before joining Riley at Oklahoma in 2018. USC now begins its search for a new strength and conditioning coach, while Wylie’s plans remain unclear.
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